The modern concept of asthma highlights a particular cell type called eosinophils as the primary factor of disease development and the majority of asthma medications were created to influence the level of these particular cells in the organism. However, the recent studies have shown that a part of patients with different stages of asthma have a level of eosinophils equal to that of healthy individuals. The same studies have traced the increase of neutrophil inflammatory cell level in the organism in some cases of asthma, which can be used as one of the possible asthma indicators.

The study involving macrolide antibiotics enrolled 45 patients with different types of asthma. They were given an increased dose of ordinary asthma medication in the form of inhaled corticosteroids with the addition of macrolide antibiotics. After an eight week course the results were closely analyzed and showed that the macrolide antibiotics have contributed significantly to the decrease of inflammation in the airways and have generally improved the conditions of the patients.

Treatment with macrolide antibiotics was most beneficial to patients with non-eosinophilic type of asthma with the best results in this particular group. The use of macrolide antibiotics has also lead to the reduction of neutrophil cell level in the test participants. These results may lead to significant changes in asthma treatment and provide an aid to patients with poor asthma control.

The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) have recently announced the biggest clinical study of asthma treatment in the world with the use of macrolide antibiotics. The study will enroll a total of 2.9 million patients and take place next year in five areas: Newcastle, Perth, Adelaide And two in Brisbane. It is a logical continuation of the previous clinical test and is designed to investigate the effectiveness of macrolides like Zithromax in cases of non-eosinophilic asthma. Entitled The Asthma and Macrolides: Azithromycin Efficacy and Safety (AMAZES) this research will surely gather numerous data and give doctors all over the world an additional possibility of asthma treatments.

Having these goals the study compared Cipro (ciprofloxacin), which is commonly used in cases of severe cholera for over a decade, and a macrolide antibiotic. The study involved 195 men suffering from severe cholera, divided into two groups. The first group was given Cipro and the second — macrolides respectively. The results where impressive and gave base to an intense discussion about the effectiveness of medicine used for cholera treatment today as well as the possibility of using macrolide antibiotics in such cases.

Cipro, which only a few years back was effective in a single dose against cholera, failed in ¾ of the patients in the study. This can be explained by the fact that Vibrio cholerae - the bacteria causing cholera — was able to rapidly develop tolerance reaction to Cipro, rendering it ineffective with time. In contrast, macrolide antibiotic treatment has shown significant results with 73% of the patients being cured with a single dose. Furthermore, the group treated with macrolides has had illness symptoms manifested only for 30 hours after taking the medicine in comparison to more than three days in case of Cipro. Although, the studies were held on men only, there’s no reason to believe the results would be different in case of women.

The results of this study have displayed the importance of developing new drugs which would be as effective as Cipro was a decade ago. Macrolide antibiotics used in the study seem like a great alternative to the traditional medication. There are numerous generic variations to this class of drugs, like Zithromax, which are available all over the world. But still, the doctors argue that a single drug will not solve the problem of cholera, because it is primarily caused by poor sanitation and water supplies. The bacteria may develop resistance to Zithromax with time too, like in case of Cipro, thus it can’t be regarded as a constant solution to the problem. The radical changes concerning sanitation and water supplies, which Europe and America have undergone a century ago, should be taken in developing countries too, but that seems like a much more complex solution compared to medications.