Gonococcal drug resistance and treatment of gonorrhoea in Nairobi

Abstract

PIP:

The in vitro antibiotic sensitivities of 108 isolates of Neisseria gonorrhoeae from a Nairobi clinic were determined by the agar dilution method. The results indicate that the majority of gonococci were relatively resistant to penicillin (86%) and to tetracycline (85%). By using the relationship between the in vitro antibiotic sensitivity of gonococci and treatment failure of gonorrhea in US patients, we predict that the minimum treatment failure rate for the gonorrhea treatment schemes used in the US would be 5.6% for aqueous procaine penicillin G, 4.8 megaunits intramuscularly together with 1.0 g probenecid by mouth; 6.9% for oral tetracycline HC1, given 500 mg 4 times daily for 5 days; 10.4% for a single oral dose of ampicillin, 3.5 g together with 1.0 g of oral probenecid; and 6.2% for a single dose of spectinomycin, 2.0 g intramuscularly. Gonococcal drug resistance and morbidity will likely continue to increase in Kenya in the absence of a gonorrhea control program. author's modified