Failure of Ciprofloxacin to Eradicate Convalescent Fecal Excretion after Acute Salmonellosis: Experience during an Outbreak in Health Care Workers

Abstract

Despite its excellent antimicrobial activity against salmonellae and its favorable pharmacokinetic profile, ciprofloxacin at a dosage of 750 mg orally twice daily had an unacceptably high failure rate in patients with acute salmonellosis and may have prolonged fecal excretion of salmonellae. The late occurrence of relapses indicates the need to obtain stool cultures up to 21 days after therapy to document fecal eradication in acute salmonellosis.