Penicillin
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Last reviewed: May 2018
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Penicillin and other antibiotic allergy information | myVMC
Penicillin and antibiotic allergy cause allergic symptoms like rash, swelling and difficulty breathing when an affected person uses antibiotics.
Read more on myVMC – Virtual Medical Centre website
Treatment Tracker App | Rheumatic Heart Disease Australia
Treatment Tracker is a free to use phone app for people who are on penicillin injections to prevent acute rheumatic fever. The app can also be used by people who care for other people on these penicillin injections. The app:
Read more on RHDAustralia website
Guide to administering penicillin (BPG/Bicillin/LAB) | Rheumatic Heart Disease Australia
This poster contains a brief summary of things to think about when administering secondary prophylaxis.
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Treatment Tracker Video | Rheumatic Heart Disease Australia
Treatment Tracker is a free to use phone app for people who are on penicillin injections to prevent acute rheumatic fever. The app can also be used by people who care for other people on these penicillin injections. The app reminds people when their injection is due or when they have an appointment for their injection AND motivates people to get their injections on time.
Read more on RHDAustralia website
Take Heart App | Rheumatic Heart Disease Australia
Instructions on how to download the 'take heart' app. This App is designed to help people who require regular secondary prophylaxis (penicillin injections) to protect themselves from rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease.
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Howard King: A Man on a Mission | Rheumatic Heart Disease Australia
Howard King, a Gurindji man from Daguragu in the Northern Territory, doesnt let anything stop him from getting his penicillin injections at the clinic, not even the monsoon rains and flooding that frequent the Top End. "I got my boots off, put on my footy shorts and shirt, went upstream and swim across."
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Young role model gives 100% to get 100% | Rheumatic Heart Disease Australia
At 14 years old, Jamayah Mooney is 6 years into a ten year treatment plan to ensure she doesnt have a recurrence of acute rheumatic fever (ARF). The treatment plan requires a penicillin injection every 23-28 days. Thats around 90 injections over the past 6 years. Shes yet to miss a single injection.
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Resources | Rheumatic Heart Disease Australia
Resources Guide to administering penicillin (BPG/Bicillin/LAB) Fast Facts Flyer Resource flyer with links What is acute rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease? An explainer video for school staff Search Videos Audio Posters Flyers E-Learning Apps Newsletters Guidelines For Children Patients, Families & Communities Health Professionals Advanced Health Professionals About General Overiew Prevention Women's health Echo Secondary Prophylaxis (BPG) Surgical Anatomy Diagnosis and Management Title Link Type Information for clinicians in Queensland ARF can lead to rheumatic heart disease, disability, open heart surgery and death
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Antibiotics (anti-bacterials) treatment information | myVMC
Antibiotics are medications that work to kill or inhibit the growth of bacteria and help your body fight the infection. They do not work against viruses.
Read more on myVMC – Virtual Medical Centre website
Vancomycin - Lab Tests Online AU
Why and when to get tested for vancomycin
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Top results
Azithromycin versus penicillin G benzathine for early syphilis | Cochrane
Syphilis is a complex disease that can involve virtually any organ in the body. The World Health Organization estimates that at least 12 million people are infected with syphilis worldwide. Some early research suggested that azithromycin was superior to benzathine penicillin G in the treatment of early syphilis, and that azithromycin can overcome the disadvantages of penicillin G benzathine. This review of three trials failed to identify a difference between azithromycin and benzathine penicillin G for early syphilis in the odds of cure rate, with the result being too imprecise to confidently rule out the superiority of either treatment option. Although gastrointestinal adverse effects were more common in the participants on azithromycin, than in those given benzathine penicillin G, the difference with benzathine penicillin did not reach statistical significance. More research is required in this area.
Read more on Cochrane (Australasian Centre) website
Intramuscular penicillin for the prevention of early onset group B streptococcal infection in newborn infants | Cochrane
Intramuscular penicillin for the prevention of early onset group B streptococcal infection in newborn infants
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Penicillin reduces the risk of streptococcal throat infections and attacks of rheumatic fever in people who have already had a bout of rheumatic fever | Cochrane
Penicillin reduces the risk of streptococcal throat infections and attacks of rheumatic fever in people who have already had a bout of rheumatic fever
Read more on Cochrane (Australasian Centre) website
Antibiotics for syphilis diagnosed during pregnancy | Cochrane
Penicillin is effective in curing syphilis during pregnancy but more research is needed on the best dosage and duration of treatment.
Read more on Cochrane (Australasian Centre) website
Antibiotics for gonorrhoea in pregnancy | Cochrane
Pregnant women with gonorrhoea who take penicillin, spectinomycin or ceftriaxone are much less likely to show signs of infection.
Read more on Cochrane (Australasian Centre) website
Penicillamine for treating rheumatoid arthritis | Cochrane
Penicillamine is a penicillin derived compound. Studies showed that this could be used to treat rheumatoid arthritis originally in 1950. It was frequently used in the past, but its use has declined with the increasing use of other disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs), such as methotrexate. The purpose of this summary was to find out if penicillamine is helpful in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.
Read more on Cochrane (Australasian Centre) website
Antibiotics for the treatment of leptospirosis | Cochrane
Leptospirosis is a common disease both in the developed and developing world. It is caused by a bacteria spread by the urine of animals. People travelling, agricultural field workers, hunters, homeless, and others with close animal contact are groups that, in particular, can get leptospirosis. Like many common infections, most people infected with this disease do not feel sick. When people do feel sick, in some instances up to 1 out of every 10 people have died. Whether or not antibiotics should be used, and if used which antibiotic should be used have been matters for debate for many years. This review identified and assessed seven clinical trials that tested antibiotics in patients sick with leptospirosis. Four of these trials compared intravenous penicillin to a placebo. Three of the trials looked at differences between different antibiotics. All trials had high risk of systematic errors (bias) and of random errors (play of chance). When looked at together, these trials do not answer the basic questions about whether or not antibiotics should be used. Part of the reason for this is that there is a wide range of severity among people ill with the disease. Additional randomised clinical trials are needed. Nonetheless, these trials suggest that antibiotics administered to patients who are sick with leptospirosis may make patients feel better two days earlier than they otherwise would have improved. However, it is also possible that when patients are severely ill, penicillin therapy might increase the risk of death or dialysis in comparison to those who receive no antibiotics. Other antibiotics have not been tested in this way. Despite the lack of evidence, if a clinician chooses to treat leptospirosis with an antibiotic, there does not seem to be any difference between the appropriate use of intravenous penicillin, intravenous cephalosporin, doxycyline, or azithromycin. But, for this they have not been tested to the same extent as intravenous penicillin.
Read more on Cochrane (Australasian Centre) website
Penicillin injections prevent 21 year old from developing more serious rheumatic heart disease | Rheumatic Heart Disease Australia
Nearly 13 years after his initial diagnosis, at the age of 21, Bradley Lewis most recent echo and cardiology review showed a marked improvement in his rheumatic heart disease (RHD). Hes improved so much that his Cardiologist is hopeful Bradley can cease injections in September 2017.
Read more on RHDAustralia website
Quick reference guide 4: Secondary prevention of acute rheumatic fever | Rheumatic Heart Disease Australia
This chapter from the quick reference guide focuses on secondary prevention of further episodes of ARF as a priority. Secondary prophylaxis with regular benzathine penicillin G (BPG) is the only RHD control strategy shown to be effective and cost-effective at both community and population levels. Information is derived from the Australian guideline for prevention, diagnosis
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Burden of Disease | Rheumatic Heart Disease Australia
The global burden of rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease declined dramatically during the 20th century, mainly due to improved living conditions and better access to health services. The introduction of penicillin in the 1950s and 1960s also meant that people could be treated effectively for streptococcal infections, thus reducing the potential for rheumatic fever.
Read more on RHDAustralia website
