Single vs Multiple Antibiotics in Community-Acquired Pneumonia

By Richard G. Wunderink, MD, FCCP; and Grant W. Waterer, MBBS, FCCP

**Table 1—***Factors Influencing Choice of Antibiotics for CAP*
Good activity of multiple classes of antibiotics against the most common pathogens Increasing antibiotic resistances in S pneumoniae, the most common cause of CAP Inability to accurately diagnose the etiology of CAP in a clinically relevant amount of time Lack of prospective, randomized, controlled trials for specific microbiologic etiologies The variable incidence of polymicrobial CAP The possibility of less common microorganisms, especially in patients with severe CAP The inability to accurately diagnose the cause and occurrences of antibiotic failure Lack of antibiotic effect on mortality in the first 48 h of hospitalization for severe CAP