Ciprofloxacin treatment of systemic salmonella infection in sensitive and resistance mice.

Five days therapy with ciprofloxacin (10 mg/kg bd) starting on day 6 after infection with Salmonella typhimurium, significantly reduced mortality in A/J and CBA mice. In CBA mice ciprofloxacin therapy also resulted in significantly lower viable counts of Salm. typhimurium in the livers and spleens of surviving mice at day 36 than was found in untreated mice or those given chloramphenicol. Ciprofloxacin failed to prevent fatal Salm. typhimurium disease in the majority of Balb/C mice, a strain that has no natural immunity to salmonella infection. Death was delayed in ciprofloxacin-treated mice and ciprofloxacin did control the multiplication of salmonellae in liver and spleen within 3 days of commencement.