Rectal gonorrhea in men: diagnosis and treatment.

In a prospective investigation of rectal gonorrhea in men, 1262 patients were studied on the basis of rectal symptoms, gonorrhea contact, or a previously positive rectal culture for Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Five hundred fifty-four patients (44%) had rectal gonorrhea, based on a positive culture; in these patients the symptom of mucus on the stool and the anoscopic finding of generalized exudate proved significant but of low specificity when compared with symptoms and findings in culture-negative patients. Patients were treated with either 4.8 million units of procaine penicillin with 1 g probenecid, 3.5 or 4.5 g of ampicillin with 1 g probenecid, or 9.5 g of tetracycline given over 4 days. Four hundred seven patients with rectal gonorrhea returned for test of cure. Failure rates were 5% with each of the first three regimens and 15% with tetracycline (P less than 3.31). Procaine penicillin with probenecid is recommended as the treatment of choice, with tetracycline being reserved for penicillin-allergic patients.