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Levofloxacin Versus Ceftriaxone for the Treatment of Acute Pyelonephritis in Iranian Adults

Tehrani S, Elyasi F, Abolghasemi S

Infectious disorders drug targets, 2021

59 participants

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Acute pyelonephritis is among the most common bacterial infections. Options for initial treatment of pyelonephritis include an extended-spectrum cephalosporin or a fluoroquinolone. This study aimed to compare the clinical outcomes of patients receiving ceftriaxone to those who received levofloxacin for the treatment of acute pyelonephritis.

METHODS: In this randomized, open-label trial, hospitalized adults with acute pyelonephritis were treated with ceftriaxone (1g IV every 12 hours) or levofloxacin (750 mg IV daily) for at least 7 days. Clinical and microbiological characteristics were compared among patients treated with ceftriaxone and levofloxacin.

RESULTS: A total of 59 patients were randomized, 30 to the ceftriaxone group and 29 to the levofloxacin group. The clinical response was that 68.0% of patients in the ceftriaxone group and 56.0% of patients in the levofloxacin group were cured. The microbiological response, i.e. pathogen eradication rates was 68.7% in the ceftriaxone group and 21.4% in the levofloxacin group. (P value=0.00028) Escherichia coli was the most common pathogen (n = 31), followed by Klebsiella pneumoniae (n = 21). High resistance rates were detected for cotrimoxazole (55%), ciprofloxacin (48%), and ceftriaxone (34.4%) in isolated E.coli. Likewise, all K. pneumoniae isolates were resistant to ciprofloxacin.

CONCLUSION: This study indicates that ceftriaxone was more effective than levofloxacin in the treatment of acute pyelonephritis, on…

How strong is the evidence?

Evidence Hub reads this as a randomized trial, done in people. Its evidence level is 2 of 5 (High · randomized trial). Randomized trials of a reasonable size are the strongest single-study design. Reported size: 59 participants or records.

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