From the Guidelines
Cefdinir is effective against Streptococcus pneumoniae, but it has no activity against Influenza virus.
Effectiveness against Streptococcus pneumoniae
- Cefdinir is a suitable agent for the treatment of infections caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae, including penicillin-resistant strains 1.
- The Infectious Diseases Society of America/American Thoracic Society consensus guidelines recommend cefdinir as an alternative antimicrobial therapy for Streptococcus pneumoniae 1.
- Cefdinir has been shown to be effective against Streptococcus pneumoniae, with a spectrum of activity that includes penicillin-resistant strains 1.
Ineffectiveness against Influenza
- Cefdinir has no activity against Influenza virus, and oseltamivir or zanamivir are the recommended treatments for Influenza 1.
- Cefdinir is not effective against viral infections, including Influenza, and should not be used as a treatment for these types of infections.
- The treatment of Influenza requires antiviral medications, such as oseltamivir or zanamivir, which are specifically designed to target the virus 1.
The FDA Drug Labels for cefdinir (PO) do not address this question.
From the Research
Effectiveness of Cefdinir against Streptococcus pneumoniae
- Cefdinir has shown good activity against Streptococcus pneumoniae, with susceptibility rates of 78.5-79.4% in 2002, which is an improvement from the previous monitored period (71.8-74.5%) 2.
- The drug is effective against penicillin-susceptible Streptococcus pneumoniae, which is one of the most common respiratory tract pathogens 3.
- Cefdinir has a broad spectrum of activity against many gram-negative and gram-positive aerobic organisms, including Streptococcus pneumoniae 4.
- The bactericidal activity of cefdinir against Streptococcus pneumoniae is rapid, with a reduction of 99.9% in CFU values observed after 6-8 h 5, 6.
Effectiveness of Cefdinir against Influenza
- There is no direct evidence in the provided studies on the effectiveness of cefdinir against Influenza.
- However, cefdinir has shown good activity against Haemophilus influenzae, which is a common pathogen that can cause respiratory tract infections, with susceptibility rates of 97.1 to 99.0% 2.
- Cefdinir is stable to hydrolysis by commonly occurring plasmid-mediated beta-lactamases and retains good activity against beta-lactamase-producing strains of H. influenzae 3, 4.