A 7-day course of ciprofloxacin for enteric fever

A prospective, open and non-randomised clinical trial using a 7-day short course of oral ciprofloxacin 500 mg twice daily was conducted on 25 adult patients with bacteraemic enteric fever. Twenty-four patients (96%) were cured and there was one treatment failure. Two patients with typhoid fever relapsed 6 weeks after finishing treatment. Defervescence of fever was rapid (median: 4 days) and the duration of hospitalisation was short (median: 8 days). Both factors resulted in patient satisfaction. A short-course regime of ciprofloxacin for the treatment of enteric fever, is therefore, highly promising.