Results of treatment of uncomplicated urogenital gonorrhoea with enoxacin compared with ceftriaxone.

The increasing incidence of penicillinase producing Neissreria gonorrhoeae (PPNG) and chromosomally-mediated resistant N. gonorrhoeae (CMRNG) has generated a need for therapy other than penicillin. PPNG constitutes about 30% of the circulating strains of gonococci in the high risk population in Mexico City. The object of the present study was to compare the safety and efficacy of single-dose treatment with either oral enoxacin (400 mg tablet) or intramuscular ceftriaxone (250 mg injection), for the treatment of acute uncomplicated gonococcal urethritis in men, caused by N. gonorrhoeae, including both PPNG and non-PPNG strains. Of the 93 men with uncomplicated gonorrhoea entered into a study, randomly assigned to receive ceftriaxone or enoxacin, 80 completed it. Infections were initially diagnosed by Gram-stained smears of urethral exudate and subsequently confirmed for isolation of N. gonorrhoeae. Chlamydia trachomatis was confirmed by direct immunofluorescence. About 30% of the strains of gonococci were PPNG and 1% were CMRNG. C. trachomatis was coexisting with N. gonorrhoeae in about 25% of the patients and remain positive after treatment. In the study presented, a single dose of either enoxacin or ceftriaxone was highly active against both PPNG or CMRNG. One single dose was enough to achieve a 100% cure rate. There was no difference between the two treatment groups. Thus either regimen has proved to be a useful alternative to the present-day treatment of uncomplicated gonococcal infections.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)