title: Efficacy of azithromycin 1g single dose in the management of uncomplicated gonorrhoea.
abstract: This paper describes the efficacy of azithromycin 1g single dose in the management of uncomplicated gonorrhoea either with or without chlamydial co-infection. Three hundred and one patients were treated for gonorrhoea between January 2000 and June 2001; 226/301 (75.1%) were treated with azithromycin 1g stat dose while the rest were treated with different regimens. Ninety-seven of 301 (32.2%) of all isolated strains were found to be resistant to at least one antibiotic where penicillin constituted the majority (23%). Chlamydial co-infection was found in 38.2% (115/301). Only 73.1% (220/301) attended for a test-of-cure, all but six patients had negative gonorrhoea cultures at their reviews. Among the six failures 3/32 (9.3%) were initially on amoxicillin, 2/170 (1.2%) on azithromycin and 1/22 (4.5%) on ciprofloxacin. Hence, azithromycin stat dose has proved to be a cost-effective treatment for uncomplicated gonorrhoea supported by the increased prevalence of penicillin-resistant organisms, concomitant chlamydial infection and the high failure rate in keeping review appointments.
authors.affiliation: Department of Genitourinary Medicine, New Cross Hospital, Wednesfield Road, Wolverhampton WV10 0QP, UK. ahabib@blueyonder.co.uk
authors.forename: Amgad R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Habib
authors.forename: Rufus
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Fernando
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D017963:Azithromycin / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002690:Chlamydia Infections / Q000150:complications; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial; D005260:Female; D006069:Gonorrhea / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D016312:Treatment Refusal / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D017963:Azithromycin