Therapeutic efficacy of perfloxacin in treatment of ampicillin-resistant typhoid fever in 7 days versus 10 days

AbstractObjective: Typhoid fever is endemic in Albania and is becoming increasingly resistant to ampicillin, chloramphenicol, and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. Perfloxacin has been shown to have significant activity in vitro against Salmonella species. the authors studied its therapeutic efficacy in patients with typhoid fever.Methods: Thirty patients with ampicillin-resistant typhoid fever, who were admitted to the Infectious Disease Clinic at the University Hospital Center of Tirana, were enrolled in this prospective, nonblinded clinical trial. Patients were treated with oral perfloxacin at 400 mg twice daily. They were randomized to receive treatment for either 7 days (group I) or 10 days (group II).Conclusions: Excellent therapeutic responses were observed in all patients in both groups. In every case, there was significant clinical improvement with defervescence and sterile blood cultures by day 4 and three consecutive negative urine and stool cultures at the end of treatment. Perfloxacin was highly effective in treatment of typhoid fever. Treatment for 7 days appeared to be as effective as treatment for 10 days. In both groups, bile cultures at the end of treatment and at 2 months follow-up were sterile, suggesting that both regimens were effective in preventing a chronic carrier state