Treatment of Shigellosis: IV. Cefixime Is Ineffective in Shigellosis in Adults

OBJECTIVE: To compare the efficacy of cefixime with that of pivamdinocillin in the treatment of adults with acute dysentery caused by Shigella infection. DESIGN: Randomized, double-blind clinical trial. SETTING: A diarrhea treatment center in Dhaka, Bangladesh. PATIENTS: 30 men with dysentery lasting 72 hours or less. INTERVENTIONS: Patients were randomly assigned to receive either 400 mg of cefixime every 24 hours (n = 15) or 400 mg of pivamdinocillin every 6 hours (n = 15) for 5 days. All patients were hospitalized for 6 days. Patients in whom initial drug therapy failed received alternative antimicrobial therapy. MEASUREMENTS: Physical examinations were done and symptoms were recorded daily, and body temperatures were measured every 6 hours. Stools were counted and examined for…