An update on the efficacy of ciprofloxacin in animal models of infection.

Although animal models of infection are associated with certain limitations in interpretation, properly performed studies provide important information for evaluating the efficacy of new antimicrobial agents in the treatment of human disease. The antibacterial efficacy of the newer quinolones, particularly ciprofloxacin, has undergone extensive evaluation in several animal models. Efficacy has been demonstrated in animal models of pneumonia, endocarditis, meningitis, skin and soft-tissue infections, septic arthritis, burn wound sepsis, empyema, intra-abdominal abscess, osteomyelitis, prostatitis, sinusitis, urinary tract infection, chronic gastroenteritis, granuloma pouch infection, and Pseudomonas septicemia. More recent studies have evaluated the efficacy of ciprofloxacin in animal models of tuberculosis and syphilis, as well as in infections caused by the intracellular pathogens Salmonella typhimurium, Legionella pneumophila, and Listeria monocytogenes.