Skip Navigation



JAC Advance Access published online on November 8, 2009
Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy, doi:10.1093/jac/dkp413
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
65/1/145    most recent
dkp413v1
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Disclaimer
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by van den Boogaard, J.
Right arrow Articles by Kibiki, G. S.
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by van den Boogaard, J.
Right arrow Articles by Kibiki, G. S.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

© The Author 2009. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

Original research

Sale of fluoroquinolones in northern Tanzania: a potential threat for fluoroquinolone use in tuberculosis treatment

Jossy van den Boogaard1,2,*, Hadija H. Semvua2, Martin J. Boeree1,3, Rob E. Aarnoutse1 and Gibson S. Kibiki2

1 Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, PO Box 9101, 6500 HB, Nijmegen, The Netherlands 2 Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre, PO Box 3010, Moshi, Tanzania 3 University Centre for Chronic Diseases Dekkerswald, Nijmeegsebaan 31, 6561 KE, Groesbeek, The Netherlands

Received 27 August 2009; returned 30 September 2009; revised 18 October 2009; accepted 18 October 2009

* Corresponding author. Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre, PO Box 2232, Moshi, Tanzania. Tel: +255-787-148431; Fax: +255-272-753909; E-mail: jossyvandenboogaard{at}gmail.com

Objectives: Fluoroquinolones have a potential role in shortening tuberculosis (TB) treatment duration. They are currently used in the treatment of other infections. This has raised concerns about development of mycobacterial resistance. The current study evaluates the sale of fluoroquinolones (among other antibacterials) in Moshi, Tanzania, a country with one of the highest burdens of TB in the world.

Methods: Trained pharmacy assistants registered the sale of fluoroquinolones during February and March 2009 to outpatients in Moshi in all 14 pharmacies that are authorized to sell antibacterials for systemic use. The sale of all antibacterials of the Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) J01 class was expressed in defined daily doses (DDDs) per 1000 inhabitants per day (DID). The availability of fluoroquinolones in drug outlets that are not authorized to sell antibacterials for systemic use was assessed in 15 randomly selected outlets in Moshi.

Results: The sale of antibacterials to outpatients in Moshi by authorized pharmacies was 4.99 DID. The sale of fluoroquinolones was 0.62 DID (12% of total antibacterial sales). Ciprofloxacin was available in all 15 unauthorized drug outlets.

Conclusions: The substantial sales of fluoroquinolones by authorized pharmacies and the wide availability of fluoroquinolones in unauthorized drug outlets in Moshi constitute a challenge to the use of fluoroquinolones in TB treatment in Tanzania. Control of antibacterial use in Tanzania requires the implementation of surveillance systems for antibacterial use and resistance, and adequate restriction of antibacterial sales to authorized pharmacies only.

Key Words: resistance , antibacterials , defined daily dose methodology


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?




Disclaimer: Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.