Clinical evaluation of single-dose oral bacampicillin or ampicillin in therapy of uncomplicated gonorrhea.

Two hundred twenty-eight patients with uncomplicated gonorrhea who returned for follow-up cultures were evaluated for determination of the efficacy of three different regimens of single-dose oral treatment. The regimens included 2.4 g of bacampicillin plus 1.0 g of probenecid, 1.6 g of bacampicillin plus 1.0 g of probenecid, and 3.5 g of ampicillin plus 1.0 g of probenecid. All three regimens were highly effective in the treatment of urogenital and rectal gonorrhea but often failed cure pharyngeal gonorrhea. The highest rate of adverse reactions was reported for patients treated with 2.4 g of bacampicillin plus probenecid. The efficacies of a single oral dose of 1.6 g of bacampicillin (molar equivalent, 1.1 g of ampicillin) plus probenecid and of 3.5 g of ampicillin plus probenecid in the treatment of uncomplicated gonorrhea were equivalent as were the frequencies of adverse reactions to these two regimens.