CONTROLLED TRIAL OF CIPROFLOXACIN IN SHORT-TERM CHEMOTHERAPY FOR PULMONARY TUBERCULOSIS

The study was undertaken in patients with newly diagnosed bacteriologi cally positive pulmonary tuberculosis. The patients were randomly allo cated to receive one of two regimens. In one of the regimens, patients received 2 months of daily treatment with streptomycin, isoniazid, ri fampin, and pyrazinamide (SHRZ) followed by isoniazid plus rifampin fo r 4 months (4 HR). in the other regimen, patients received 2 months of daily streptomycin, isoniazid, pyrazinamide, and ciprofloxacin (SHZ C ipro) followed by isoniazid plus ciprofloxacin for 4 months. All patie nts in the SHRZ/HR regimens and all but one in the SHZ Cipro/H Cipro r egimens had a favorable bacteriologic response during chemotherapy. In the patients in the SHZ Cipro/H Cipro regimen, ciprofloxacin was well tolerated during the period of treatment. After chemotherapy, one (5. 9 percent) of 17 patients in the SHRZ/HR group and three (16.6 percent ) of 18 patients in the SHZ Cipro/H Cipro group relapsed bacteriologic ally.