Abstract
We studied the penetration into plueral fluid of grepafloxacin (GPFX) and evaluated its clinical efficacy for respiratory tract infections. The penetration rate of GPFX into pleural fluid (ratio of maximum pleural fluid concentration to peak serum concentration) determined by theHPLC method in 3 patients with pleural fluid was 33.3-50.5%(mean: 43.5%). A similar result was obtained by bioassay.
The efficacy rate (more effective) for 24 cases with respiratory infection was 95.7% after oral administration of GPFX.
Bacteriologically, 19 strains were isolated, including 5 strains of Staphylococcus aureus, 3 strains of Haemophilus influenzae, 1 strain of Klebsiella pneumoniae, 3 strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, 1 strain of Xanthomonas maltophilia and 1 strain of Corynebacterium sp. and so on. Sixteen strains (except for 2 strain of S. aureus and 1 strains of P. aeruginosa) were eradicated, an eradication rate of 84.2%. No side effect was observed in any of the cases examined. In the laboratory tests, however, slightly elevated s-GOT and s-GPT were observed in 1 case.
Based on the above results, GPFX is considered a useful new quinolone derivative for the treatment of respiratory tract infections.
