How Do Otic Quinolones Work?

Otic quinolones are broad spectrum antibiotic medications that are used to treat bacterial infections in the external and middle ear. Otic quinolones kill bacteria by preventing DNA synthesis and replication in bacterial cells. Otic quinolones work by inhibiting gyrase, an enzyme that is essential for bacterial DNA synthesis.

Gyrase is a bacterial enzyme that breaks DNA strands, removes knots, repairs and recombines the broken strands to make perfect copies of the bacterial DNA. Otic quinolones bind to the broken strands of the bacterial DNA and prevent their recombination which results in bacterial cell death.

Otic quinolones are effective against both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. Gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria are structurally different and are classified depending on whether they get stained or not by a violet dye used in a laboratory test known as the Gram stain test.

Otic quinolones are used to treat ear infections caused by gram-positive bacteria such as:

• Staphylococcus aureus
• Streptococcus pneumoniae

Gram-negative bacteria that otic quinolones are effective against include:

• Pseudomonas aeruginosa
• Haemophilus influenzae
• Moraxella catarrhalis

Generic and brand name of otic quinolone drugs include:

• Cetraxal
• ciprofloxacin otic
• finafloxacin otic
• Floxin Otic
• Oflaxacin Otic
• ofloxacin otic
• Otiprio
• Xtoro

Otic quinolones are solutions or suspensions that are topically administered into the ear canal. Otic quinolones are used to treat or prevent infections in the following conditions or treatment procedures:

• Otitis externa: External ear infection
• Chronic suppurative otitis media: Chronic infection and inflammation of the middle ear with eardrum perforation and drainage
• Tympanostomy tube placement: A procedure that involves suctioning fluid from the middle ear and placing a tiny tube through the eardrum to drain fluid and relieve pressure
• Acute otitis media with tympanostomy tubes: Acute middle ear infection or inflammation after tympanostomy tube placement

Side effects of otic quinolones may include the following:

Otic side effects:

• Ear itching (pruritus)
• Fungal ear superinfection
• Application site pain
• Application site reactions
• Ear discomfort
• Otitis media
• Earache
• Bleeding from the ear (otorrhagia)
• Ringing in the ear (tinnitus)
• Transient hearing loss

Systemic side effects:

• Headache
• Inflammation of the nasal passage and pharynx (nasopharyngitis)
• Irritability
• Nasal discharge (rhinorrhea)
• Taste perversion
• Pruritus
• Dizziness
• Vertigo
• Rash
• Abnormal skin sensation (paresthesia)
• Tremor
• Dry mouth (xerostomia)
• Diarrhea

Information contained herein is not intended to cover all possible side effects, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. Check with your doctor or pharmacist to make sure these drugs do not cause any harm when you take them along with other medicines. Never stop taking your medication and never change your dose or frequency without consulting your doctor.