These are empiric antibiotic recommendations based on current literature, national susceptibility patterns, and antimicrobials currently available on the Canadian market. Readers are encouraged to make antibiotic therapy choices based on usual pathogens and susceptibility patterns locally. Antibiotics listed for each condition are not all inclusive, nor are they all approved by Health Canada TPD for the listed indication. Choice of empiric antibiotic therapy should be based on the patient’s age, allergies, co-morbidities, and clinical condition, as well as cost and convenience of the dosage regimen. Empiric antibiotic therapy should be modified to narrower spectrum antibiotic(s) according to culture and susceptibility (C&S) results.

Layout Methodology

Rather than in alphabetical order, Treatment Recommendations for Adult Patients is organized by body system, from external (e.g. skin) to internal, and in general, from less serious to more serious infections (e.g. sepsis, febrile neutropenia). Within each body system, infections are also organized, in general, from less serious (e.g. impetigo) to more serious infections (e.g. necrotizing fasciitis).