Clinical Efficacy of Pefloxacin in Nosocomial Infections

Abstract

Pefloxacin is a fluorinated qui no lone antibacterial that is available for both oral and intravenous administration. It has been extensively used for more than 10 years. In respiratory tract infections, pefloxacin is documented to be effective in patients with hospital-acquired pneumonia and those with acute exacerbations of chronic bronchitis. Frequencies of clinical cure or improvement in excess of 85% have been reported, and bacterial eradication was achieved in 80% or more of treated patients. In community-acquired pneumonia, the role of pefloxacin and other fluoroquinolones is considerably more doubtful, since the activity of these antibacterials against the most frequent and most virulent pathogen, Streptococcus pneumoniae, is limited. Pefloxacin has documented efficacy in other types of nosocomial infections such as Gram-negative osteomyelitis, and also seems effective in serious systemic infections, although the documentation is rather limited. In conclusion, pefloxacin use in respiratory tract infections should be limited to nosocomial pneumonia and acute exacerbations of chronic bronchitis, indications where pefloxacin seems to be a good alternative to other regimens. In other types of hospital-acquired infections, it is an alternative when the aetiology is likely to be Gram-negative bacteria.