Study designs of evaluations included in the review
Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) comparing routine antibiotic prophylaxis with no antibiotic or with selective antibiotic treatment.
Specific interventions included in the review
Prophylactic antibiotics including sulphanilamide, sulphanilamide derivative, sulphathiazole, chlortetracycline, procaine penicillin, benzathine, tetracycline. No doses or duration of treatment were stated.
Participants included in the review
Children with measles admitted to hospital in Glasgow, London, New York and India. The age limits varied across the studies from under 4 to under 10 years.
Outcomes assessed in the review
The number of children who died or developed either pneumonia or sepsis was assessed. Pneumonia was undefined or diagnosed clinically or by X-ray.
How were decisions on the relevance of primary studies made?
The author does not state how the papers were selected for the review, or how many of the reviewers performed the selection.