Fluoroquinolone antibiotics

The fluoroquinolones are a family of synthetic broad-spectrum antibiotics, which eradicate bacteria by interfering with DNA replication. However, the fluoroquinolones are relatively ineffective against intracellular pathogens.

Fluoroquinolones are not used on the Marshall Protocol because they produce little or no immunopathology in sarcoidosis patients and because their use over the long term raises some issues of bacterial resistance.

If one's doctor so advises, short-term use of the antibiotics is okay under certain circumstances.

• ciprofloxacin (Cipro)
• levofloxacin (Levaquin/Quixin)
• gatifloxacin (Tequin)
• moxifloxacin (Avelox)
• ofloxacin (Ocuflox/Floxin/Floxacin)
• norfloxacin (Noroxin)

All the fluoroquinolones act in the same way.

The Marshall Protocol does not use fluoroquinolone antibiotics for the following reasons:

• Fluoroquinolones are used by hospitals as “first-line” antibiotics. If a patient becomes sick with an opportunistic infection, they don't want the bacteria in their body to have developed a resistance to fluoroquinolones.
• Fluoroquinolones are only a fraction as effective as minocycline in killing intracellular bacteria – by one estimate, 1/20 as effective.¹
• Fluoroquinolones are expensive.
• When used over the long-term, the side effects of the fluoroquinolone are unacceptable. One of the risks of fluoroquinolone antibiotics is that of tendon damage, however, this risk is relatively small for patients who are not taking steroids.² Those that are on steroids have very high risk indeed.

For reasons ranging from prophylaxis to acute infections, Marshall Protocol (MP) are sometimes advised to take an antibiotic different from the ones used on the MP.