Outpatient Registry Trial of Respiratory Tract Infections in Adults

Inclusion Criteria: * Adult patients, either males or non-pregnant females, aged 18 to 75 years of age with clinical findings of CAP or AECB who are amenable to serial nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal sampling and having positive Binax-NOW tests indicating infection with Streptococcus pneumoniae * Patients with a medical history and clinical findings consistent with a respiratory tract infection. A patient with advanced COPD, repeated exacerbations by history, a BINAX-NOW test consistent with S. pneumoniae and/or proven culture positivity for S. pneumoniae may be enrolled * All patients (CAP or AECB) must produce purulent sputum and be positive on the Urinary BINAX-NOW assay. * The female patient of child bearing potential must agree to use an accepted method of contraception (i.e., oral or implanted contraceptive with a barrier method, spermicide and barrier methods, or IUD). The patient must agree to continue with the same method throughout the study. Exclusion Criteria: * Baseline sputum cultures known to be negative for S. pneumoniae, or negative urinary BINAX-NOW. * Patients with a microbiologically documented pathogen known prior to inclusion to be resistant to any of the study medications. * History of hypersensitivity to macrolides, azalides, ketolide antibiotics or history of serious hypersensitivity reaction to any drug. * Pre-existing impaired hepatic function or impaired renal function CCL \<20ml/min * Patients who will require on-study treatment with medications known to have contraindicated drug interactions with telithromycin * Treatment with more than one dose of an antimicrobial prior to entry into the study Others as per protocol