ISSN 2756-3324
African Journal of Medicine and Surgery ISSN 3156-8734 Vol. 3 (5), pp. 079-084, May, 2016. © International Scholars Journals
Full Length Research Paper
Intravenous administration of ciprofloxacin alongside levofloxacin in patients with complicated typhoid fever
Susilo Ali Alatas1*, Nicholas Wahid2, Pevita Kalla3, Ahmadun Herfanda4, Aburizal Hidayat1, Jusuf Pearce2, Afgansyah Aburizal5, Taufik Bakrie5, Christine Alexander 6 and A. Syahputra6
1Division of Tropical and Infectious Disease, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Diponegoro Semarang, Indonesia.
2University of Airlangga, Surabaya, Indonesia.
3University of Indonesia, Jakarta, Indonesia.
4University of Padjadjaran, Bandung, Indonesia.
5University of Brawidjaya, Malang, Indonesia.
6University of Hasanudin, Makasar, Indonesia.
E-mail: [email protected]
Accepted 7 April, 2016
Abstract
In this study, 137 patients treated for complicated typhoid fever were randomized to either intravenous levofloxacin 500 mg once daily (OD), which then switched to sequential oral 500 mg levofloxacin, or intravenous ciprofloxacin 400 mg twice daily (BID), which then switched to oral ciprofloxacin 500 mg BID in the same course of 10 days. Resolution of fever occurred on the average after 3.47 days of treatment in the levofloxacin group and 4.08 days of treatment in the ciprofloxacin group. A significant difference was obtained between the two groups. In both groups, there were cases of clinical relapse after typhoid fever treatment; one case (2%) in the levofloxacin group and three cases (4%) in the ciprofloxacin group. During treatment, one or more adverse events were reported in 8 out of 69 (11.6%) patients in the levofloxacin group as compared to 21 out of 68 (30.1%) patients in the ciprofloxacin group. Post treatment stool examination detected no carrier state in both groups of study. Compared to ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin 500 mg daily, administered intravenously which then switched orally, for complicated typhoid fever, showed better clinical as well as laboratory outcomes and less occurrence of adverse reactions.
Key words: Ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin, complicated typhoid fever.