[Evaluation of the use of ofloxacin in the treatment of various infections].

We investigated the clinical efficiency and safety of ofloxacin, a new fluoroquinolone, for the treatment of various documented bacterial infections in 26 patients (10 females, 16 males) aged 17 to 84 years. Ofloxacin monotherapy was given orally in a dose of 200 mg twice (25) or three times (1) a day. Antibiotic levels and serum bactericidal activity were measured using a microbiological method on the second and sixth days, before and 2 and 6 hours after a single dose. The infectious episode treated was enterocolitis in 7 cases (5 Shigella, 2 Salmonella), Salmonella septicemia in 9 (7 typhoid fevers and 2 Salmonella minor infections), chronic osteoarthritis in 3 (1 E. coli, 2 S. aureus + P. aeruginosa), a soft tissue infection in 3 (2 S. aureus, 1 E. coli), acute pleuropneumonia in 2 (2 Klebsiella pneumoniae), pyelonephritis with bacteremia in 1 (Klebsiella pneumoniae), and pneumococcal pneumonia with septicemia in 1. Mean duration of therapy was ten days for 23 patients (range 7 to 30 days). The three patients with osteoarthritis were treated for 35, 95 and 270 days respectively. 24 patients recovered free of sequelae or germ carriage. Treatment failed in 1 case of chronic osteitis (S. aureus + P. aeruginosa) and in 1 staphylococcal soft tissue infection. No adverse reactions were observed except a slight increase in transaminases in 3 patients. Peak and through serum ofloxacin levels were 3.70 micrograms/ml and 0.95 micrograms/ml respectively on the second day and 3.25 micrograms/ml and 0.80 microgram/ml respectively on the sixth day.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)