• D E Griffith, B A Brown, D T Murphy, W M Girard, L Couch, and R J Wallace.
• Department of Medicine, Center for Pulmonary Infectious Disease Control, University of Texas Health Center, Tyler 75710, USA.
• J. Infect. Dis. 1998 Jul 1;178(1):121-6.

AbstractTwo consecutive, open, prospective trials of intermittent azithromycin (600 mg), usually given Monday, Wednesday, and Friday (TIW) for Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) lung disease were initiated in human immunodeficiency virus-negative patients. Regimen A consisted of TIW azithromycin and daily ethambutol (15 mg/kg/day), daily rifabutin (300 mg/day), and initial twice weekly (BIW) streptomycin. Regimen B consisted of TIW azithromycin, TIW ethambutol (25 mg/kg/dose), TIW rifabutin (600 mg/dose), and initial BIW streptomycin. Of 19 patients enrolled in regimen A who completed at least 6 months of therapy, 14 (74%) had sputum samples become culture-negative. Of 39 patients enrolled in regimen B who completed at least 6 months of therapy, 24 (62%) had sputum conversion. These sputum conversion rates are comparable to previous rates at 6 months in patients receiving daily clarithromycin- or azithromycin-containing regimens. No resistance to azithromycin emerged with either regimen. This is the first study to demonstrate the efficacy of intermittent administration of medication for MAC lung disease.

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