Antibiotics have not been demonstrated to affect healing of local infection in diphtheria patients treated with antitoxin. Antibiotics are used in patients or carriers to eradicate C. diphtheriae, and prevent its transmission to others. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendsThe first version of this article was adapted from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention document "Diphtheria (Corynebacterium diphtheriae) 1995 Case Definition" . As a work of an agency of the U.S. government without any other copyright notice it should be available as a public domain resource. either: Metronidazole Erythromycin is given (orally or by injection) for 14 days (40 mg/kg per day with a maximum of 2 g/d), or Procaine penicillin G is given intramuscularly for 14 days (300,000 U/d for patients weighing <10 kg, and 600,000 U/d for those weighing >10 kg); patients with allergies to penicillin G or erythromycin can use rifampin or clindamycin.
Antibiotics have not been demonstrated to affect healing of local infection in diphtheria patients treated with antitoxin. Antibiotics are used in patients or carriers to eradicate C. diphtheriae, and prevent its transmission to others. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendsThe first version of this article was adapted from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention document "Diphtheria (Corynebacterium diphtheriae) 1995 Case Definition" . As a work of an agency of the U.S. government without any other copyright notice it should be available as a public domain resource. either: Metronidazole Erythromycin is given (orally or by injection) for 14 days (40 mg/kg per day with a maximum of 2 g/d), or Procaine penicillin G is given intramuscularly for 14 days (300,000 U/d for patients weighing <10 kg, and 600,000 U/d for those weighing >10 kg); patients with allergies to penicillin G or erythromycin can use rifampin or clindamycin.