title: Eradication of common pathogens at days 2, 3 and 4 of moxifloxacin therapy in patients with acute bacterial sinusitis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Acute bacterial sinusitis (ABS) is a common infection in clinical practice. Data on time to bacteriologic eradication after antimicrobial therapy are lacking for most agents, but are necessary in order to optimize therapy. This was a prospective, single-arm, open-label, multicenter study to determine the time to bacteriologic eradication in ABS patients (maxillary sinusitis) treated with moxifloxacin.
  
  
  METHODS
  Adult patients with radiologically and clinically confirmed ABS received once-daily moxifloxacin 400 mg for 10 days. Middle meatus secretion sampling was performed using nasal endoscopy pre-therapy, and repeated on 3 consecutive days during treatment. Target enrollment was 30 bacteriologically evaluable patients (pre-therapy culture positive for Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae or Moraxella catarrhalis and evaluable cultures for at least Day 2 and Day 3 during therapy visits), including at least 10 each with S. pneumoniae or H. influenzae.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 192 patients enrolled, 42 were bacteriologically evaluable, with 48 pathogens isolated. Moxifloxacin was started on Day 1. Baseline bacteria were eradicated in 35/42 (83.3%) patients by day 2, 42/42 (100%) patients by day 3, and 41/42 (97.6%) patients by day 4. In terms of individual pathogens, 12/18 S. pneumoniae, 22/23 H. influenzae and 7/7 M. catarrhalis were eradicated by day 2 (total 41/48; 85.4%), and 18/18 S. pneumoniae and 23/23 H. influenzae were eradicated by day 3. On Day 4, S. pneumoniae was isolated from a patient who had negative cultures on Days 2 and 3. Thus, the Day 4 eradication rate was 47/48 (97.9%). Clinical success was achieved in 36/38 (94.7%) patients at the test of cure visit.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In patients with ABS (maxillary sinusitis), moxifloxacin 400 mg once daily for 10 days resulted in eradication of baseline bacteria in 83.3% of patients by Day 2, 100% by Day 3 and 97.6% by Day 4.
authors.affiliation: H.Z.G.A. Mi Pueblo, Buenos Aires, Argentina. horacio.ariza@aziracr.com
authors.forename: Horacio
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ariza
authors.forename: Ramon
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rojas
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gower
authors.forename: Alice
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Benson
authors.forename: Janet
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Herrington
authors.forename: Renee
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Perroncel
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pertel