Generality
Contrary to what common thinking may be, the antibiotic for bronchitis should not be considered as the drug of first choice to be used in the treatment of this disorder.
In fact, due to the increasingly widespread phenomenon of antibiotic resistance
To be clear, in the case of bronchitis, the use of any antibiotic drugs left at home following previous antibacterial therapies should not be carried out unless expressly indicated by the doctor. In these cases, in fact, self-therapy may not only be completely ineffective, but even be dangerous and harmful to health.
However, during this article the situations in which it is possible to use antibiotics for bronchitis and the active ingredients most used in these cases will be analyzed. However, before proceeding with this more detailed analysis, it may be useful to take a small step back to understand what bronchitis is and what its causes are.
Bronchitis
Bronchitis and its Causes
Bronchitis is an inflammation that occurs in the bronchi. This inflammation can occur both in acute and in chronic form, but the triggering causes are different.
In chronic bronchitis, in fact, the main causes are to be found in particular types of environmental insults (such as, for example, prolonged exposure to tobacco smoke or to some types of environmental pollutants).
Acute forms of bronchitis, on the other hand, are caused mainly by infections of viral nature and - very seldom - from bacterial infections.
However, it is important to point out that - even when the main cause of bronchitis is a viral infection - it is possible that bacterial superinfections can occur that can worsen the clinical picture of the disease.
Pathogenic microorganisms
Bacteria that can cause Bronchitis
The bacteria that can cause bronchitis or that can give rise to a superinfection in case of viral bronchitis are many. Among these, the most common are:
- Haemophilus influenzae, a Gram-negative bacillus that can also cause many other respiratory tract diseases, such as ear infections, sinusitis and pneumonia.
- Streptococcus pneumoniae, a Gram-positive coconut that - in addition to acute bronchitis - can also cause lobar pneumonitis, otitis media, mumps and sinusitis.
- Staphylococcus aureus, another Gram-positive coconut that can also cause other disorders affecting the airways, such as abscesses, sinusitis, acute pneumonia and pleuropneumonitis.
- Chlamydia pneumoniae, a Gram-negative coccoid capable of triggering bronchitis and pneumonia.
Antibiotics
Types of Antibiotic for Bronchitis used in therapy
In light of what has been said so far, it is clear that the use of antibiotic drugs for the treatment of bronchitis is necessary only when the inflammation of the bronchi is caused by an infection (or a superinfection) bacterial.
The main classes of antibiotics used in the therapy of bacterial bronchitis will be briefly described below.
penicillins
Penicillins are the most widely used class of antibiotics in the treatment of bacterial infections of the airways.
Penicillins are beta-lactam antibiotics capable of exerting an antibacterial activity by inhibiting the synthesis of peptidoglycan (the bacterial cell wall).
Among the active ingredients most used for the treatment of bronchitis, we mention benzylpenicillin, oxacillin, nafcillin and amoxicillin .
Macrolides
Macrolides are antibiotics with a rather complex chemical structure, composed of a large lactone ring that binds two or more sugars. These active ingredients exert their antibiotic action by interfering with bacterial protein synthesis directly at the ribosomal level.
Macrolides are characterized mainly by the fact that they are the drugs of choice used as an alternative to penicillins in individuals allergic to this antibiotic class.
Among the macrolides most commonly used in the treatment of acute bronchitis we recall erythromycin .
Tetracycline
Tetracyclines are a class of broad-spectrum antibiotics used in the treatment of different types of bacterial infections. They express their antibiotic action through the inhibition of bacterial protein synthesis.
The active ingredient belonging to this class of antibiotics mostly used in the treatment of acute bronchitis (in particular, induced by Chlamydia pneumoniae ) is doxycycline .
Cephalosporins
Cephalosporins are a class of beta-lactam antibiotics with bactericidal properties. Similarly to penicillins, cephalosporins are able to exert their antibacterial action by inhibiting peptidoglycan synthesis.
Among the active ingredients mostly used in the treatment of bacterial bronchitis, we find cefotaxime, cefixime and ceftriaxone .
Other antibiotics
Other antibiotic drugs that can be used to treat bronchitis are:
- Rifampicin (active ingredient belonging to the class of rifamycins);
- Prulifloxacin (active ingredient belonging to the class of quinolones and, more precisely, of fluoroquinolones);
- Vancomycin (a cyclic peptide with antibiotic action).
In truth, vancomycin is certainly not the antibiotic for first choice bronchitis. However, its use is particularly useful - if not essential - in cases of bacterial bronchitis caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strains.
