Fluoroquinolone (FQ)

Quinolones exert their antibacterial effect by preventing bacterial DNA from unwinding and duplicating. The majority of quinolones in clinical use are fluoroquinolones, which have a fluorine atom attached to the central ring system, typically at the 6-position or C-7 position. Most of them are named with the -oxacin suffix. Fluoroquinolones have traditionally been considered to be contraindicated in children because they may cause cartilage lesions if growth plates are open. However, some experts, who challenge this view because evidence is weak, have recommended prescribing fluoroquinolones as a 2nd-line antibiotic and restricting use to a few specific situations, including P. aeruginosa infections in patients with cystic fibrosis, prophylaxis and treatment of bacterial infections in immunocompromised patients, life-threatening multiresistant bacterial infections in neonates and infants, and Salmonella or Shigella GI tract infections.