CIPROFLOXACIN FOR THE TREATMENT OF CHOLERA - A RANDOMIZED, DOUBLE-BLIND, CONTROLLED CLINICAL-TRIAL OF A SINGLE DAILY DOSE IN PERUVIAN ADULTS

We conducted a randomized, double-blind clinical trial to compare cipr ofloxacin (250 mg once a day for 3 days) with tetracycline (500 mg fou r times a day for 3 days) in terms of efficacy and safety in the treat ment of moderate-to-severe cholera in Peruvian adults, The baseline ch aracteristics of the groups were similar, A total of 202 patients (102 in the tetracycline group and 100 in the ciprofloxacin group) were in cluded in the efficacy analysis, The clinical and bacteriologic effica cies of the two regimens were similar, The study drugs were well toler ated, We conclude that ciprofloxacin given once a day is as effective as the standard tetracycline regimen for the treatment of cholera in a dults, The ciprofloxacin regimen may represent an alternative to the s tandard treatment in areas where Vibrio cholerae O1 strains that are r esistant to commonly used antimicrobials are prevalent.