In Japan the incidence of atypical mycobacteriosis has steadily increased, with Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare complex (MAC) the most common infecting organism. A standard chemotherapy regimen for MAC infection has not been established because of significant resistance to anti-mycobacterial drugs. Sparfloxacin has good antimicrobial activity against several acid-fast bacteria and is expected to be an effective drug for treating mycobacteriosis. We examined the effects of adding sparfloxacin to anti-tuberculotic combination therapy in six patients with MAC pulmonary disease. Drug susceptibility was also assessed using the agar dilution method. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) for sparfloxacin, levofloxacin, isoniazid, rifampicin, streptomycin, ethambutol and clarithromycin was measured in clinical isolates from all patients; sparfloxacin showed the lowest MIC. Bacteriological and clinical improvements were observed in the four patients who completed the study. Dosing was discontinued in two patients because of pruritic skin eruptions. Sparfloxacin shows promise as an anti-mycobacterial agent for treating MAC pulmonary disease.
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