Quinolones for short-term treatment of uncomplicated urinary tract infection

Objective: To investigate whether quinolones produce in vivo responses comp arable to reported ill vitro activity against the spectrum of organisms in uncomplicated urinary tract infection (UTI) in Nigeria. Design: Equal numbers of patients with urine culture positive UTI were rand omised to oral quinolone, perfloxacin 400 mg bd twice a day and ofloxacin 2 00 mg bd twice a day for five days, Setting: Out-patient clinics and wards at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Subjects: Sixty patients aged sixteen years and above with uncomplicated UT I, Main outcome measures: Number of isolates, number of patients with clinical and bacteriological cure one week after commencing therapy. Relative effec tiveness and side effects of the drugs. Results: Sixty four bacterial isolates were obtained with the enterobacteri aceae comprising 86%. Sixty two (97%) were sensitive to both drugs in vitro . Clinical cure occurred in 57 patients (95%), being 28 (93%) in those taki ng perfloxacin and 29 (97%) in those taking ofloxacin, Barteriological cure occurred in 55 patients (92%), being 27 (90%) in those taking perfloxacin and 28 (93%) in those taking ofloxacin, Fifty nine of the 64 isolates (92%) were eliminated in one week, 30 of 33 (91%) in those taking perfloxacin, a nd 29 of 31 (94%) in those taking ofloxacin; the difference was insignifica nt (p=1.16), The enterobacteriaceae were generally susceptible to both drug s. Side effects were minor and infrequent. Conclusion: Quinolones were highly active against the common urinary pathog ens in these Nigerian patients and can be reliably employed in treatment wh en culture results are unavailable.