title: A switch therapy protocol with intravenous azithromycin and ciprofloxacin combination for severe, relapsing chronic bacterial prostatitis: a prospective non-comparative pilot study.
abstract: Chronic bacterial prostatitis (CBP) is characterized by intense clinical symptoms, frequent relapse episodes and poor quality of life. Aggressive antibacterial therapy is warranted to eradicate the causative pathogens and to achieve a permanent cure. We administered a "switch-therapy" protocol to 30 patients showing severe CBP symptoms and two or more relapse episodes in the previous 12 months. Patients received intravenous azithromycin (500 mg/day) and ciprofloxacin (800 mg/day) for 3 days, followed by oral ciprofloxacin (1 g/day) for 25 days.Twenty-seven (90%) patients showed pathogen eradication at test-of-cure (TOC) visit. Five cases of infection relapse were detected at follow-up. At the TOC visit, 25 patients (83%) showed mild/absent symptoms, measured with the NIH-chronic prostatitis symptom index.These results indicate the efficacy of a "switch-therapy" protocol, based on combined azithromycin and ciprofloxacin. Comparative studies on larger CBP patient populations are warranted to confirm these encouraging results.
authors.affiliation: Pliva Croatia Ltd, Zagreb, Croatia.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kolumbić Lakos
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Skerk
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Maleković
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Dujnić Spoljarević
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kovacic
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pasini
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Markotić
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Magri
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Perletti
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D017963:Azithromycin / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D002939:Ciprofloxacin / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination / Q000379:methods; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011472:Prostatitis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000382:microbiology*; D055502:Secondary Prevention
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D002939:Ciprofloxacin; D017963:Azithromycin