Janet Peterson, PhD
Ortho-McNeil Janssen Scientific Affairs, LLC;
Raritan, New Jersey, USA

Streptococcus pneumoniae (S. pneumoniae ) is the most frequently isolated bacterial pathogen in adults with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) (1,2). Because the identity of the causative pathogen is frequently unknown at the time of diagnosis, initial antimicrobial therapy for CAP is usually empiric(1) and targeted at the most common bacterial causes of CAP, including S. pneumoniae. However, the growing problem of drug-resistant S. pneumoniae has undermined the effectiveness of empiric therapy, particularly for the most commonly used oral antibacterial agents. A pooled analysis was conducted on data from 10 clinical studies evaluating levofloxacin in the treatment of pneumonia caused by S. pneumoniae, including multidrug resistant S. pneumoniae (MDRSP) strains. The high clinical cure rates and microbiologic eradication rates for MDRSP pathogens observed with levofloxacin support its effectiveness in treating patients who present with CAP.