Abstract

Quinolone carboxylic acids are totally synthetic antibacterial agents. Initial compounds possessed relatively limited clinical utility. Since the 1980s, the discovery of fluoroquinolones with better safety profiles and broader spectrums of activity have made this class of antibacterial agents one of the most important in clinical usage. New des-F(6)-quinolone analogues are expected to provide improved activity against gram-positive organisms and as a result, members of this class should become true broad spectrum antibiotics of major clinical importance.