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: syphilis and neurosyphilis
- Rheumatic fever prophylaxis, chorea prophylaxis, glomerulonephritis prophylaxis, and rheumatic heart disease
NON-FDA APPROVED USES
NON-FDA APPROVED USES
- Brain abscess
- Lung abscess
- Endocarditis -β-hemolytic streptococci, S. pneumoniae, Viridans group streptococci, enterococci.
- 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: September 13, 2025
Citation
Tsai, Y. Vivian, and Edina Avdic. "Penicillin." Johns Hopkins ABX Guide, The Johns Hopkins University, 2025. Pediatrics Central, peds.unboundmedicine.com/pedscentral/view/Johns_Hopkins_ABX_Guide/540424/2/Penicillin.
Tsai Y, Avdic E. Penicillin. Johns Hopkins ABX Guide. The Johns Hopkins University; 2025. https://peds.unboundmedicine.com/pedscentral/view/Johns_Hopkins_ABX_Guide/540424/2/Penicillin. Accessed September 20, 2025.
Tsai, Y., & Avdic, E. (2025). Penicillin. In Johns Hopkins ABX Guide. The Johns Hopkins University. https://peds.unboundmedicine.com/pedscentral/view/Johns_Hopkins_ABX_Guide/540424/2/Penicillin
Tsai Y, Avdic E. Penicillin [Internet]. In: Johns Hopkins ABX Guide. The Johns Hopkins University; 2025. [cited 2025 September 20]. Available from: https://peds.unboundmedicine.com/pedscentral/view/Johns_Hopkins_ABX_Guide/540424/2/Penicillin.
* Article titles in AMA citation format should be in sentence-case
TY - ELEC
T1 - Penicillin
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AU - Avdic,Edina,Pharm.D.
Y1 - 2025/09/13/
BT - Johns Hopkins ABX Guide
UR - https://peds.unboundmedicine.com/pedscentral/view/Johns_Hopkins_ABX_Guide/540424/2/Penicillin
PB - The Johns Hopkins University
DB - Pediatrics Central
DP - Unbound Medicine
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