IN-VITRO ACTIVITY OF ENOXACIN VERSUS CIPROFLOXACIN, FLEROXACIN, LOMEFLOXACIN, OFLOXACIN, PEFLOXACIN, AND RUFLOXACIN AGAINST UROPATHOGENS

Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIG) of enoxacin, ciprofloxacin, fl eroxacin, lomefloxacin, ofloxacin, pefloxacin and rufloxacin were dete rmined against 400 uropathogens cultured from the urine of patients wi th complicated and/or hospital-acquired urinary tract infections (UTI) using an agar dilution method. The bacterial spectrum consisted of En terobacteriaceae (34.5%), enterococci (31.5%), staphylococci (21.2%) a nd non-fermenting bacteria (12.8%). Enoxacin inhibited all but one str ain (Enterobacter cloacae) of Enterobacteriaceae up to an MIC of 1 mg/ l (MIC90 0.25 mg/l). Regarding the total bacterial spectrum, enoxacin inhibited 54.5, 59.5, 76.0 and 83.8% up to an MIC of 1, 2, 4 and 8 mg/ l, respectively. If the same breakpoint of resistance for ofloxacin ac cording to DIN 58 940 (NCCLS), i.e. MIC greater than or equal to 4 mg/ l(greater than or equal to 8 mg/l), is also taken for the other fluoro quinolones, and the 126 strains of enterococci are excluded, for which alternative agents, e.g. aminopenicillins, should be considered inste ad, the following resistance rates were found: ciprofloxacin and enoxa cin 15.3% (15.0%), ofloxacin 17.2% (15.3%), pefloxacin 18.2% (15.3%), fleroxacin 19.3% (15.3%), lomefloxacin 19.7% (17.9%) and rufloxacin 31 .8% (27.4%). According to their in vitro activity, all fluoroquinolone s tested besides rufloxacin show similar rates of resistance against u ropathogens and can therefore be considered good alternative agents fo r the treatment of complicated UTI.