Comparative trial of doxycycline plus streptomycin versus doxycycline plus rifampin for the therapy of human brucellosis.

Effectiveness and therapeutic value of the doxycycline plus streptomycin and doxycycline plus rifampin schedules of treatment of human brucellosis have been assessed by carrying out a prospective study on 111 patients randomly distributed into two groups. Patients in group A were treated with doxycycline plus streptomycin sulphate and those in group B with doxycycline plus rifampin. The temperature of all patients reverted to normal, and 54 patients from group A (91.6%) and 45 from group B (86.5%) achieved total recovery with a single therapeutic cycle. Two therapeutic failures and 3 relapses in group A (8.4%) and 7 relapses in group B (13.46%) were observed. The tolerance to both regimens was good. Although the combination doxycycline plus rifampin offers a more convenient oral administration, in the light of these results, until more extensive research is carried out, it should be considered as an alternative rather than a first choice in the treatment of human brucellosis.