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FDA Approves Levaquin as an Antibacterial Treatment for Plague
Posted 30 Apr 2012 by Drugs.com
April 27, 2012 – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Levaquin (levofloxacin) to treat patients with plague, a rare and potentially deadly bacterial infection. The agency also approved the drug to reduce the risk of getting plague after exposure to Yersinia pestis, the bacterium that causes the disease. Plague is extremely rare in most parts of the world, including the United States, with 1,000 to 2,000 cases worldwide each year. The three most common forms of plague are bubonic plague (infection of the lymph nodes), pneumonic plague (infection of the lungs), and septicemic plague (infection of the blood). Primarily an animal disease, plague can be spread to humans through bites from infected fleas, contact with infected animals or humans, or laboratory exposure. Yersinia pestis also is considered a biological threat agent, which could potentially be used as a ... Read more
Related support groups: Levaquin, Levofloxacin, Plague, Plague Prophylaxis
Levaquin Approved to Treat or Prevent Plague
Posted 27 Apr 2012 by Drugs.com
FRIDAY, April 27 – Approval of the antibiotic Levaquin (levofloxacin) has been expanded by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to include plague, a rare but deadly bacterial infection. The disease is extremely rare in the United States, and only about 1,000 to 2,000 cases occur each year across the globe, the agency said in a news release. The three most common forms of plague include bubonic (affecting the lymph nodes), pneumonic (lungs) and septicemic (blood stream). Animals are most frequently infected, although plague can be spread to people by fleas, contact with infected animals or other people, or by exposure in the laboratory. The bacterium that causes plague, Yersinia pestis, is considered a potential bioterrorism agent, the FDA said. Levaquin was tested under the agency's Animal Efficacy Rule, which allows findings from carefully controlled tests in animals to be applied to ... Read more
Related support groups: Levaquin, Levofloxacin, Levaquin Leva-Pak, Plague Prophylaxis, Plague
U.S. Plague Fatality 'Isolated' Lab Incident, New Report Confirms
Posted 30 Jun 2011 by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, June 29 – In 2009, a 60-year-old American lab researcher was mysteriously, and fatally, infected with the black plague while conducting experiments using a weakened, non-virulent strain of the microbe. Now, a follow-up investigation has confirmed that the researcher died because of a genetic predisposition that made him vulnerable to the hazards of such bacterial contact. The new report appears to set aside fears that the strain of plague in question (known by its scientific name as "Yersinia pestis") had unpredictably mutated into a more lethal one that might have circumvented standard research lab security measures. "This was a very isolated incident," said study co-author Dr. Karen Frank, director of clinical microbiology and immunology laboratories in the department of pathology at the University of Chicago Medical Center. "But the important point is that all levels of ... Read more
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