ENOXACIN THERAPY FOR EXPERIMENTAL PSEUDOMONAS KERATITIS

Pseudomonas keratitis is difficult to treat and aminoglycosides, the drugs now used for this purpose, are not always effective. New drugs are thus needed to cure gentamicin resistant pseudomonas ocular infections. Enoxacin, a new quinolone, active in vitro against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, was evaluated in experimental ulcerative keratitis produced by a gentamicin resistant isolate of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in rabbits. Our study shows that enoxacin eye drops eliminated pseudomonas infection of the cornea and achieved therapeutic levels in the acqueous humor. Supplementation with parenterally given enoxacin augmented this effect. Enoxacin did not penetrate the vitreous. Enoxacin eye drops may be evaluated for their clinical usefulness in case of keratitis caused by Gram-negative bacilli.