Quinolones for the treatment and prophylaxis of tuberculosis.

Quinolones possess enormous potential as antimycobacterial agents, and have been proven to have excellent in vitro activity against M. tuberculosis, as well as limited in vivo efficacy. These drugs appear to be safe and well tolerated even when taken for an extended period. This is important considering that one of the most significant factors contributing to resistance is compliance. Quinolones exhibit great promise for initial treatment and retreatment of MDRTB, a rapidly growing problem, as well as for prevention. They have shown to be as effective as some of the first-line agents currently used in treating TB. There appears to be overwhelming need to further study these agents and determine their role in the treatment of TB. In the future, quinolones may emerge as first-line therapy for TB.