title: Treatment of acute bacterial diarrhea: a multicenter international trial comparing placebo with fleroxacin given as a single dose or once daily for 3 days.
abstract: This study was designed to test the efficacy of 400 mg fleroxacin given orally as a single dose or once daily for 3 days against acute bacterial diarrhea. A group of 508 adults with acute diarrhea were entered into a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter trial. Patients were examined and asked about numbers of liquid stools daily for 3 days and at 5 days after start of treatment. Repeat stool samples were obtained for culture on days 3 and 5 after start of treatment. A total of 332 patients showed stool cultures positive for bacterial pathogens sensitive to fleroxacin and completed their treatments. Patients treated with fleroxacin, both single-dose and 3-day regimens, showed faster clinical improvement than did placebo-treated patients, as shown by earlier cessation of diarrhea (p < 0.001) and reduction in mean number of loose stools per day on days 2, 3, and 5 after start of therapy (p < 0.05). Bacteriologic efficacy was demonstrated by negative stool cultures for initial pathogens on days 3 and 5 after start of therapy in 94% of patients treated with single doses of fleroxacin and in 93% of patients treated with three doses of fleroxacin as compared with 57% of patients treated with placebo (p < 0.001). Patients with cholera, shigellosis, and infections due to Vibrio parahaemolyticus showed both clinical and bacteriologic responses to fleroxacin treatment, whereas patients with salmonellosis showed only bacteriologic responses. The good overall clinical and bacteriologic responses of most patients with acute bacterial diarrhea of fleroxacin indicate that this convenient single-dose therapy should be advantageous for empiric treatment of certain diarrheal illnesses.
authors.affiliation: Bamrasnardura Hospital, Nonthaburi, Thailand.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Butler
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lolekha
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rasidi
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kadio
authors.forename: P L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: del Rosal
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Iskandar
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Rubinstein
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pastore
mesh_terms: D000284:Administration, Oral; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001419:Bacteria / Q000187:drug effects; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000382:microbiology; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000382:microbiology; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D005260:Female; D016576:Fleroxacin / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D016576:Fleroxacin