Staphylococcus aureus is a type of bacteria that can cause various infections in humans. Ciprofloxacin is an antibiotic used to treat a wide variety of bacterial infections, including those caused by staphylococcus aureus.
We will explore whether ciprofloxacin is effective in treating staphylococcus aureus and the potential side effects associated with its use.
What is Staphylococcus aureus?
Staphylococcus aureus is a common bacterium that can cause a variety of human infections. Staphylococcus aureus is a gram-positive bacteria that can be resistant to a variety of antibiotics, including methicillin (MRSA).
Gram-positive bacteria have a simpler cell structure and lack the outer membrane that gram-negative bacteria have, making them more susceptible to a broader range of antibiotics, including those that are ineffective against gram-negative bacteria.
However, some gram-positive bacteria, such as Staphylococcus aureus, are resistant to many antibiotics and can cause infections such as pneumonia, skin infections, and bloodstream infections.
What is ciprofloxacin?
Ciprofloxacin is an antibiotic that belongs to the fluoroquinolone class of drugs. Fluoroquinolones inhibit bacterial DNA replication and protein synthesis.
This means that they prevent bacteria from replicating their DNA, which is required for cell division and growth, as well as from synthesizing proteins, which are required for a variety of cellular processes.
Fluoroquinolones, such as ciprofloxacin, are generally effective against gram-negative bacteria, which have a complex outer membrane that makes them antibiotic resistant.
They can, however, be effective against some gram-positive bacteria, such as Staphylococcus aureus.
Can ciprofloxacin treat Staphylococcus aureus
In vitro and animal studies have shown high cure rates for these infections when treated with ciprofloxacin.
Some studies have investigated the efficacy of ciprofloxacin against Staphylococcus infections, including MRSA.
Ciprofloxacin can treat some infections caused by Staphylococcus aureus. For instance, a study revealed that ciprofloxacin can treat acute otitis externa.
According to 2021 on the biofilm formation of Multidrug-resistant MRSA strains Isolated from different human infections, ciprofloxacin had a low efficacy rate leading to a decrease in biofilm mass in multiple strains. Although most MRSA strains were resistant to it (13 out of 18).
Another study published in the Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy in 2021 offered ciprofloxacin and other antibiotics as a weak recommendation for the treatment of lower urinary tract infections caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.
Another study published in the Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy in 2014 compared the efficacy of oz enoxacin, levofloxacin, and ciprofloxacin against mutant-resistant Staphylococcus spp. causing skin infections and oz enoxacin was a better alternative.
A study carried out on 17 patients with severe staphylococcal infections revealed that ciprofloxacin wasn’t effective in treating these patients because the medication didn’t improve the symptoms nor was there a response from the bacteria causing the infection.
Despite this, all of the bacteria isolated in the study were found to be susceptible to ciprofloxacin both before and after treatment.
What Next?
Ciprofloxacin may be a potential treatment against some staph infections but it’s clearly not a powerful one.
In the case of an infection, meet your healthcare professional for proper diagnosis and appropriate treatment options.