Johns Hopkins ABX Guide
Penicillin
INDICATIONS
FDA
FDA
- Endocarditis
- Skin and soft tissue infection (erysipelas, erysipeloid)
- Rat-bite fever
- Vincent’s infection fusospirochetosis (Vincent’s gingivitis and pharyngitis)
- Anthrax due to Bacillus anthracis, including inhalation anthrax (post-exposure): PCN procaine [note: CDC does not recommend as the first-line agent due to beta-lactamase production (see "biodefense-anthrax")]
- Actinomycosis
- Empyema
- Pasteurella infections
- Pneumonia
- Upper respiratory tract infection: Group A strep pharyngitis, otitis media
- Venereal infections (penicillin G benzathine suspension): syphilis and neurosyphilis
- Rheumatic fever prophylaxis, chorea prophylaxis, glomerulonephritis prophylaxis, rheumatic heart disease
NON-FDA APPROVED USES
NON-FDA APPROVED USES
- Brain abscess
- Lung abscess
- Endocarditis -β-hemolytic streptococci, S. pneumoniae, Viridans group streptococci, enterococcus.
- Necrotizing fasciitis (S. pyogenes)
- Gas gangrene
- Lyme arthritis
- Neisseria meningitidis
- All stages of syphilis (Treponema pallidum)
- Osteomyelitis and prosthetic joint infections- β-hemolytic streptococci, S. pneumoniae, Viridans group streptococci, enterococcus.
- Cutibacterium (Propionibacterium) acnes infections
- Clostridium infections
- Meningitis- susceptible S. pneumoniae, S. agalactiae, Listeria
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Last updated: December 8, 2019
Citation
Avdic, Edina, and Paul A Pham. "Penicillin." Johns Hopkins ABX Guide, The Johns Hopkins University, 2019. Pediatrics Central, peds.unboundmedicine.com/pedscentral/view/Johns_Hopkins_ABX_Guide/540424/0.1/Penicillin.
Avdic E, Pham PA. Penicillin. Johns Hopkins ABX Guide. The Johns Hopkins University; 2019. https://peds.unboundmedicine.com/pedscentral/view/Johns_Hopkins_ABX_Guide/540424/0.1/Penicillin. Accessed July 19, 2025.
Avdic, E., & Pham, P. A. (2019). Penicillin. In Johns Hopkins ABX Guide. The Johns Hopkins University. https://peds.unboundmedicine.com/pedscentral/view/Johns_Hopkins_ABX_Guide/540424/0.1/Penicillin
Avdic E, Pham PA. Penicillin [Internet]. In: Johns Hopkins ABX Guide. The Johns Hopkins University; 2019. [cited 2025 July 19]. Available from: https://peds.unboundmedicine.com/pedscentral/view/Johns_Hopkins_ABX_Guide/540424/0.1/Penicillin.
* Article titles in AMA citation format should be in sentence-case
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PB - The Johns Hopkins University
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