Use of oral ciprofloxacin in community-acquired pneumonia

Twenty-five acutely ill patients, 21 men and 4 women aged 20-90 years (mean, 54 years) with acute community-acquired bacterial pneumonia, were treated with ciprofloxacin orally. The diagnosis of pneumonia was based on clinical and roentgenographic evidence of pulmonary infiltrate and a Gram stain of sputum demonstrating neutrophils and bacteria. Initially, 12 patients received 750 mg of ciprofloxacin orally every 12 hours for 3-6 days (mean, 3.8 days) followed by 500 mg of oral medication twice daily for 4-7 days (mean, 4.8 days). The remaining 13 patients received 500 mg of ciprofloxacin orally for 8-15 days (mean, 8.5 days). Treatment was successful in all patients (100%). No superinfections occurred, and there was no development of resistance. The drug was well tolerated and only moderate transient elevation of transaminase levels (serum glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase and serum glutamine pyruvic transaminase) was noted in one patient.