Aspiration pneumonia is treated with which antibiotics?

• A. Aztreonam
• B. Clindamycin
• C. Amoxicillin
• D. Doxycycline

Answer: (B)

Aspiration pneumonia is typically caused by anaerobic bacteria from the oropharynx, so the chosen antibiotic should effectively cover anaerobes. Clindamycin is well suited for this because it provides strong anaerobic coverage and good lung tissue penetration, targeting the common oral flora involved in aspiration events (such as anaerobic streptococci and Bacteroides/Fusobacterium species).

Aztreonam, while active against many gram-negative aerobes, does not cover anaerobes, making it unsuitable for aspiration infections driven by anaerobic bacteria. Amoxicillin has some activity against certain organisms but does not reliably cover anaerobes in aspiration pneumonia. Doxycycline covers many community pathogens and atypicals but has limited anaerobic coverage, so it’s not the best choice for this scenario.