Multicenter prospective study of treatment of Brucella melitensis brucellosis with doxycycline for 6 weeks plus streptomycin for 2 weeks.
The effectiveness of treating human brucellosis caused by Brucella melitensis with a 6-week course of doxcycline plus streptomycin for 2 of those weeks was analyzed by a multicenter prospective study of 139 patients. Subjects with central nervous system involvement, endocarditis, or spondylitis were excluded from the study. All but 5 of the 139 patients completed the full treatment schedule and became afebrile in the first week of therapy. Four patients suffered relapses during the follow-up period. Of the five patients who did not complete the treatment, two left because of adverse secondary effects (1.4%), another two left for noncomplicance with the treatment (1.4%), and the remaining patient was considered a therapeutic failure because his symptoms persisted after the first week of therapy (0.7%). We concluded that the combination of doxycycline and streptomycin is an effective treatment for the types of brucellosis included in our study.
Infectious Disease Unit, Virgen del Rocio University Hospital, Seville, Spain.
J M
JM
Cisneros
P
P
Viciana
J
J
Colmenero
J
J
Pachón
C
C
Martinez
A
A
Alarcón
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002006:Brucellosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000382:microbiology; D002648:Child; D004318:Doxycycline / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015337:Multicenter Studies as Topic; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012008:Recurrence; D013307:Streptomycin / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*
D004318:Doxycycline; D013307:Streptomycin