Single daily-dose ofloxacin monotherapy for Mycobacterium fortuitum sternotomy infection

Infection of sternotomy wounds due to Mycobacterium fortuitum-chelonei complex postoperatively was noted in ten patients in 1987 and six patients in 1988 in our hospital. The first ten patients were treated with a combination of ofloxacin and amikacin, successfully in nine. In the six later patients, five had M fortuitum infection and one had M chelonei infection. In those five we used single daily-dose ofloxacin, 600 mg, in three with rapid clinical response and bacteriologic cure. The MIC of ofloxacin for these three isolates ranged from 0.32 mg/L to 1.25 mg/L, and peak serum level of ofloxacin assessed by high-performance liquid chromatography ranged from 4.1 mg/L to 8.0 mg/L. Monotherapy with ofloxacin is recommended for M fortuitum infection of wound and soft tissue, with in vitro susceptibility studies as a guide, pending further reinforcing clinical evidence.