IN-VIVO EFFICACY OF TROVAFLOXACIN (CP-99,217), A NEW QUINOLONE, IN EXPERIMENTAL INTRAABDOMINAL ABSCESSES CAUSED BY BACTEROIDES-FRAGILIS ANDESCHERICHIA-COLI

The efficacy of trovafloxacin in treating Bacteroides fragilis and Esc herichia coli infections was investigated and compared to the efficacy of combined clindamycin and gentamicin therapy in an experimental mod el of intra-abdominal abscesses in rats. Rats were treated with differ ent doses of CP-116,517-27, a parenteral prodrug of trovafloxacin. Res ponse to treatment was evaluated by mortality rate and elimination of infection (cure rate), Mortality in the control group was 85.4%, where as in rats treated with trovafloxacin, it was close to 0%. The highest cure rate (89.3%) resulted from the administration of 40 mg of CP-116 ,517-27 per kg of body weight three times a day (TID) for 10 days (equ ivalent to 18.15 mg of active drug trovafloxacin per rat per day), The therapeutic response,vith trovafloxacin was comparable to that of a c ombination therapy of clindamycin (75 mg/kg) plus gentamicin (20 mg/kg ) TID (cure rate, 74%; mortality rate, 5%). The measured peak levels o f trovafloxacin in serum and abscess pus were 2.6 +/- 0.3 and 5.2 mu g /ml, respectively. The tumor necrosis factor alpha levels in the untre ated animals were high compared to those for rats treated with trovafl oxacin or clindamycin plus gentamicin. These results demonstrate that trovafloxacin as a single agent appears to be as successful as clindam ycin plus gentamicin in the treatment of experimental intra-abdominal abscesses in rats.