Problems in the treatment of bacterial sexually transmitted diseases.

Despite the development of many antimicrobial drugs that are active against sexually transmitted bacterial pathogens, various problems limit the success of treatment of bacterial sexually transmitted diseases (STD). These problems include the evolution and spread of antibiotic-resistant pathogens, inconsistent therapeutic efficacy of some regimens despite in-vitro activity against the infecting organism, toxicity, inconvenience of administration, lack of compliance by patients, and cost. Diseases affected by one or more of these therapeutic problems include gonorrhea, chlamydial infections, pelvic inflammatory disease, bacterial vaginosis, syphilis, and chancroid. Ceftriaxone, a new cephalosporin, addresses some of these problems as they relate to gonorrhea, chancroid, and, possibly, syphilis.