NEJM: Antibiotics for pneumonia in H1N1

[indigo girl]

http://drugresistantstaph.blogspot.com/2009/12/nejm-antibiotics-for-pneumonia-in-h1n1.html

Here is an article at NEJM referred from Maryn McKenna's most excellent site, Superbug on treatment of a

co-infection that seems to happen all too often with swine flu:

Development of apparent pneumonia in the presence of flu should be met with antibiotics that will treat drug-sensitive bacteria, along with a test to show which bacteria are causing the illness.

If staph is present (or the pneumonia appears very serious), then the antibiotics should be upped to one that can control MRSA.

But if the pneumonia is serious enough to send a patient straight to the ICU, then drugs that can quell MRSA should be started right away.