An ongoing dialogue on HIV/AIDS, infectious diseases,
September 11th, 2012
Are Fluoroquinolones Really More Dangerous Than Other Antibiotics?
In today’s New York Times, health writer Jane Brody slams quinolone antibiotics: Part of the problem is that fluoroquinolones are often inappropriately prescribed. Instead of being reserved for use against serious, perhaps life-threatening bacterial infections like hospital-acquired pneumonia, these antibiotics are frequently prescribed for sinusitis, bronchitis, earaches and other ailments that may resolve on their own or can be […]
June 24th, 2011
Reflections on Levofloxacin as it Goes Generic
With the news that a generic form of levofloxacin has just been approved by the FDA, some thoughts about this remarkable antibiotic: When it was first approved in 1996, levofloxacin was the first oral antibiotic that really covered all common causes of community acquired pneumonia. Strep pneumo, H flu, mycoplasma, legionella, chlamydia — check, check, check, […]
April 26th, 2009
Swine Flu Curbsides: Anthrax, SARS Redux?
In my email in-box yesterday AM from a primary care doc: A patient of mine, 40 year old woman totally healthy, is going to Cancun on Tuesday for a conference. She’ll be there for 6 days. I know there are no cases of swine flu in Cancun yet, and the situation is evolving, but here’s my question: […]
February 26th, 2009
Meningococcal Resistance to Ciprofloxacin
Ciprofloxacin-resistant Neisseria meningitidis has now been documented in the United States. Here’s a nice summary in Journal Watch, with two different perspectives. I suppose we shouldn’t be surprised, but it did take a while. (At least compared to that other famous neisseria-bug, Neisseria gonorrhoeae.) Oh well. Why is this important? As every practicing ID doc/primary care provider/public health […]