Conclusion
The quinolones are an important and widely used class of
antimicrobial agents in clinical medicine. Resistance has, however,
become widespread in a number of human pathogens
driven in part by use of quinolones in humans. Physicians
should be aware of risk factors associated with quinolone resistance,
the most important of which is prior quinolone exposure.
Although there has been a controversy about the clinical
implications of quinolone resistance in some clinical situations,
such as UTIs, resistance has frequently limited the use of
these useful antibiotics, and is particularly likely to adversely
affect outcomes in bacteremic patients or patients with infections
at sites of poor drug delivery. Ongoing surveillance of local
and national resistance trends will be important, and careful
and select use of quinolones will be warranted.