ABSTRACT
The increasing incidence of drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis necessitates therapeutic alternatives. The fluoroquinolones fulfill most of the criteria for an ideal class of antimycobacterial drugs. The aim of the present study was to determine to in vitro activities of ciprofloxacin, ofloxacin, and levofloxacin against M. tuberculosis strains. Susceptibility to four antituberculous drugs used in first-line treatment of tuberculosis was tested in 100 strains isolated from clinical samples. Nineteen strains [19%] were resistant to at least one of the four antituberculous drugs and 13 were multidrug resistant. The in vitro antimycobacterial activity of ciprofloxacin, ofloxacin, and levofloxacin was then determined against 100 M.tuberculosis strains using standard agar proportion dilution method. Ciprofloxacin, ofloxacin, and levofloxacin were active against all tested strains of M. tuberculosis in vitro. Ciprofloxacin, ofloxacin, and levofloxacin have relatively potent in vitro activity against M. tuberculosis. Further in vivo studies are needed to determine the role of these compounds in the treatment of tuberculosis, but use should be limited to special circumstances rather than first-line treatment
ABSTRACT
The frequency of Chlamydia trachomatis in women with mucopurulent discharge was determined by a cell culture technique and a transcription-mediated amplification [TMA] assay in endocervical swab specimens. Subjects and Endocervical swab specimens were obtained from 116 symptomatic patients with genitourinary complaints or abdominal pain. All of the women were married, with an age range of between 19 and 44 [median 29] years. The cell culture assay was used in all specimens. For 75 specimens the TMA assay was also performed. Positive cell culture test results were obtained in 6 [5.2%] patients. Among 75 specimens, 2 were positive by both TMA and culture assays, while 1 specimen was positive only by the culture assay. Of those positive for C. trachomatis, 5 were in the 19- to 25-year age group, and 1 was in the >25-year age group. All of the patients with positive results were of low socioeconomic status. Conclusions: This study revealed a relatively low rate of C. trachomatis infections in symptomatic married women in Turkey. A commercial TMA assay failed to identfy all positive patients, in contrast to a 'gold standard' culture assay used in patients having such infections