Fluoroquinolones can be used to fight anthrax. (Not First-Line Tx).

SAN DIEGO -- Gatifloxacin and 1evofloxacin may be considered as alternatives for postexposure prophylaxis or treatment of anthrax, Dr. Duygu Esel reported in a poster presentation at the annual Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy.

The two fluoroquinolones may be especially useful for combating inhalation anthrax, due to good penetration into lung tissue, Dr. Esel, a microbiologist at Erciyes University, Kayseri, Turkey; said at the conference, sponsored by the American Society for Microbiology.

Penicillin G or doxycydline are still the first choices for treatment of agricultural anthrax, which had been the primary form seen ...