Ciprofloxacin in the treatment of nonspecific vaginitis

Ciprofloxacin is a new quinolone antibiotic with a broad antibacterial spectrum and excellent in vitro activity. In a non-comparative study, ciprofloxacin was administered orally at a dosage of 500 mg twice daily for seven days to 22 women with nonspecific vaginitis caused by Corynebacterium species, Bacteroides species, and Gardnerella vaginalis, isolated singly or in combination at rates of 45, 34, and 21 percent, respectively. At seven and 14 days after the initiation of therapy, 16 of the 22 (72.7 percent) patients had clinical and bacteriologic eradication, and two (9.1 percent) failed to show a response. Four patients experienced mild to moderate gastric pain, dizziness, somnolence, or pruritus, but treatment with ciprofloxacin was not discontinued. Vaginal colonization with Candida albicans occurred in seven women, but there were no clinical signs or symptoms of mycologic infection.