Resistance to Levofloxacin and Failure of Treatment of Pneumococcal Pneumonia

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Abstract
The emergence of Streptococcus pneumoniae that is resistant to the β-lactam and macrolide antimicrobial drugs has aroused concern about the use of these agents for the empirical treatment of community-acquired pneumonia.1 Fluoroquinolones with increased activity against S. pneumoniae, such as levofloxacin, moxifloxacin, and gatifloxacin, are now being recommended for the treatment of patients with community-acquired pneumonia whose infection is likely to have been caused by multidrug-resistant strains.1-6 However, there has been relatively little experience with the use of these agents, as compared with the β-lactam and macrolide antimicrobial agents, as monotherapy for community-acquired pneumonia.