What Is the Relevance of Antimicrobial Resistance on the Outcome of Community-Acquired Pneumonia Caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae? (Should Macrolide Monotherapy Be Used for Mild Pneumonia?)

Multidrug-resistant pneumococci continue to increase worldwide. Although there are still questions regarding the relevance of beta-lactam resistance, the recommendation for the use of the macrolides as monotherapy for mild community-acquired pneumonia should be revisited in view of high rates of resistance, the association of clinical failures with low-level and high-level resistance, and the lack of clinical data to support their need for empirical therapy for the atypicals.