Clinical study of levofloxacin (DR-3355) on uro-genital infections--with special reference to usefulness for chronic prostatitis]

The clinical usefulness of levofloxacin, an optical active isomer of ofloxacin, was investigated on uro-genital infections. Patients who were treated with the drug included 2 with complicated urinary tract infections (UTI), 29 with chronic prostatitis and 3 with chronic non-chlamydial epididymitis. Levofloxacin was given to each patient at a dose of 300 mg or 400 mg a day for 7-14 days (average 12.0 +/- 0.5 days). In 2 cases of chronic UTI, infected by P. aeruginosa in one case and P. stutzeri in another case, the isolates were eradicated, and the clinical efficacy was moderate or excellent. For evaluating the effectiveness on chronic prostatitis, the patients were divided into 2 groups; group I (G-I) was chronic bacterial (number of isolates including GNR or E. faecalis, greater than or equal to 10(4) ml) and group II (G-II) was chronic non-bacterial prostatitis (number of isolates including GPC less than or equal to 10(3)/ml). A complete bacteriological response was obtained in all 7 cases, classified in G-I, but in 20 of the 27 isolates, (74.1%) in G-II. In 3 cases of chronic non-chlamydial epididymitis, the response was moderate. In safety profile, there were slight elevations in the laboratory values of glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (GOT), and glutamic pyruvic transaminase (GPT) in one case, and that of GOT in another case. As for side effects, a 69-year-old male complained of dizziness, and anorexia after 10 days on the drug, but recovered 2 days after discontinuance of the drug.