Treatment of Gonorrhea: Comparison of Penicillin G Procaine, Doxycycline, Spectinomycin, and Ampicillin

Penicillin G procaine with probenecid, or doxycycline, or spectinomycin, or ampicillin with probenecid were used in the treatment of 1,238 men and women with gonorrhea. Of these, 718 returned for reculture. Recurrences of this disease in men as demonstrated by positive culture were as follows: after penicillin G procaine with probenecid therapy, 10%; doxycycline, 15%; spectinomycin, 10%; and ampicillin with probenecid, 10%. Recurrences in women were 1%, 4%, 2%, and 5%, respectively. Most recurrences in men were probably caused by reinfection. Comparison of strains isolated during 1971 with strains from 1973 did not indicate a trend toward increasing resistance. A strong correlation between resistance to penicillin G procaine and resistance to doxycycline and spectinomycin was shown for 83 randomly selected strains.