Ciprofloxacin in the treatment of acute bacterial diarrhea: A double blind study

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Abstract
In a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial 50 adult patients with acute diarrhea received either 500 mg ciprofloxacin b.i.d. or a placebo for five days. Results were evaluated in 21 patients in the ciprofloxacin group (10 withSalmonella spp., 11 withCampylobacter jejuni) and 25 patients in the placebo group (16with Salmonella spp., 5 withCampylobacter jejuni, 4 withShigella spp.). The duration of fever in patients treated with ciprofloxacin was 1.5 days versus 2.3 days in the placebo group; the difference was not statistically significant. The duration of diarrhea in the ciprofloxacin group was 1.4 days versus 2.6 days in the placebo group (p < 0.01); the corresponding figures in patients with salmonellosis were 1.6 versus 3.2 (p=0.01). In the ciprofloxacin group all stool cultures became negative 48 h after start of treatment und remained negative during the follow-up period of three weeks. In the placebo group only one of the 25 patients had negative stool cultures during therapy and only seven after the treatment period (p < 0.001). Ciprofloxacin was very well tolerated and was found to be a safe compound without major adverse effects.