Treatment

Illness caused by Chlamydia pneumoniae is usually self-limiting and patients may not seek care. Clinicians can treat the disease on a case-by-case basis with:

• Macrolides (azithromycin) — first-line therapy
• Tetracyclines (tetracycline and doxycycline)
• Fluoroquionolones

Note: Clinicians should not prescribe tetracyclines for young children under normal circumstances.

C. pneumoniae show in vitro resistance to the following antibiotics, which are not recommended for treatment:

• Penicillin
• Ampicillin
• Sulfa drugs

Symptoms of C. pneumoniae infection can reappear after a short or conventional course of antibiotics. Persistent infection after treatment has been demonstrated by recovery of viable bacteria; therefore, a secondary course of treatment may be recommended.

Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) treatment guidelines

• Diagnosis and Treatment of Adults with Community-acquired Pneumoniaexternal icon
  An official clinical practice guideline of the American Thoracic Society and Infectious Diseases Society of America
• The Management of Community-Acquired Pneumonia in Infants and Children Older Than 3 Months of Agepdf iconexternal icon
  Clinical practice guidelines by the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society and the Infectious Diseases Society of America

References

• Beatty W, Morrison R, Byrne G. Persistent chlamydiae: From cell culture to a paradigm for chlamydial pathogenesis. Microbiol Rev. 1994;58:686–99.
• Blasi F, Tarsia P, Aliberti S. Chlamydophila pneumoniae. Clin Microbiol Infect. 2009;15:29–35.
• Burillo A, Bouza E. Chlamydophila pneumoniae. Infect Dis Clin N Am. 2010;24:61–71.
• Cunha BA. The atypical pneumonias: Clinical diagnosis and importance. Clin Microbio Infect. 2006;12:12–24.