Ciprofloxacin is in a class of antibiotics called fluoroquinolones. Ciprofloxacin is used to treat certain infections caused by bacteria. Ciprofloxacin is also used to treat people exposed to anthrax germs in the air and various sexually transmitted diseases and infections such as Legionnaire disease), cat scratch disease (an infection that may develop after a patient is bitten or scratched by a cat) and brucellosis (a type of infection that causes a rising and falling fever and other symptoms).

Ciprofloxacin may be used to treat patients with cystic fibrosis who have lung infections. Ciprofloxacin is sometimes used with another medication to treat certain infections of the internal organs. Ciprofloxacin may be used to treat and prevent dangerous illnesses that are deliberately spread such as plague and tularemia. Ciprofloxacin may also be used to reduce the amount of certain types of bacteria in the nose to prevent serious illness. Ciprofloxacin may be used with another medication to treat disseminated Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) (a type of lung disease that often affects people with human immunodeficiency virus [HIV]) and tuberculosis (TB) (a type of lung inf