A prospective clinical and bacteriologic study of inguinal buboes in Thai men.

One-hundred thirteen men (mean age, 23 years) who presented with inguinal buboes to a government-operated hospital for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) in Bangkok were studied between February 1987 and February 1989. The median duration of preceding symptoms was 7 days (range, 1-62 days). The majority of patients (74; 65%) had received treatment previously; 31 (27%) were febrile, 13 (12%) had extrainguinal lymphadenopathy, and 31 (27%) had concurrent active genital ulcers. There was no history of genital ulceration in 66 (58%) of the patients. Pus was obtained from 51 of the 110 buboes aspirated for culture; 21 (41%) of these cultures yielded Haemophilus ducreyi, and 2 (3.9%) were positive for Chlamydia trachomatis on immunofluorescence microscopy. Saline (1 mL) was injected and reaspirated from the buboes of 35 of the other 59 patients; 3 buboes yielded H. ducreyi and 9 were positive for C. trachomatis. All cultures for other aerobic and anaerobic bacteria and viruses in intact buboes were negative. Syphilis serology was positive in only one case. Patients attending STD clinics in this region who have large, fluctuant, edematous inguinal buboes containing pus should receive presumptive treatment for chancroid. If there is no pus, then the bubo is more likely to be caused by lymphogranuloma venereum.

Treatment of chancroid with spectinomycin or co-trimoxazole.

Chancroid, the third most prevalent venereal disease in Thailand, was treated with a single 2-gm dose of spectinomycin, or two tablets of co-trimoxazole (trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole) twice daily for seven days. The differences in cure rates between the two groups were statistically significant. The chancroidal ulcers were cured in 93.7% of 175 patients treated with spectinomycin, and in 48.2% of 168 co-trimoxazole-treated patients (P less than 0.01). The in vitro susceptibility of Haemophilus ducreyi to spectinomycin was 4 to 16 micrograms/ml and to co-trimoxazole 32 micrograms/ml or higher. Thus we found that a single-dose regimen of spectinomycin was significantly more effective than the standard seven-day regimen of co-trimoxazole for the treatment of chancroid.

Spectinomycin-resistant gonococci in Thailand.

The incidence of resistance to spectinomycin was determined in 3,200 isolates of Neisseria gonorrhoeae from male and female patients at four venereal disease clinics in Thailand. Susceptibility of the isolates was tested on disks containing 100 micrograms of spectinomycin. There was no evidence of spectinomycin resistance (a zone of inhibition of less than or equal to 18 mm in diameter); the diameter of the inhibitory zone was 19 to 23 mm in 10.9% of the isolates, 24 to 28 mm in 53.7%, 29 to 33 mm in 31.3%, 34 to 38 mm in 4.1%, and 39 mm in 0.05%. The results were similar in the male and female patients.

Etiology of urethritis in Thai men.

The etiology of urethritis was determined for 303 Thai men with urethral discharge containing 5 or more polymorphonuclear cells (PMN)/high power field (hpf) and 132 men with a discharge containing less than 5 PMN/hpf. Neisseria gonorrhoeae was isolated significantly more often from men with greater than or equal to 5 PMN/hpf than from men with less than 5 PMN/hpf (42% vs 1%, P less than .0001). Chlamydia trachomatis was also isolated more often from patients with greater than or equal to 5 PMN/hpf than from men with less than 5 PMN/hpf (16% vs 8%, P less than .03). Ureaplasma urealyticum was isolated with nearly equal frequency from both groups of patients (45% vs 37%). Among men with a urethral exudate containing greater than or equal to 5 PMN/hpf, N. gonorrhoeae was isolated as the only pathogen from 19% and in combination with C. trachomatis or U. urealyticum in 23% of these men. C. trachomatis or U. urealyticum, but not N. gonorrhoeae, was isolated from 30%, and no pathogen was isolated from 28% of these men. Among men with urethral exudate containing less than 5 PMN/hpf, N. gonorrhoeae was isolated from only 1%, C. trachomatis or U. urealyticum from 41%, and no pathogen from 58%. These findings suggest that all Thai men with urethral discharge containing greater than or equal to 5 PMN/hpf should be treated for non-gonococcal urethritis and for gonococcal urethritis if gram-negative diplococci are demonstrated on gram stain of the urethral discharge. Men with urethritis with less than 5 PMN/hpf should be treated for only non-gonococcal urethritis.

Clinical and microbiological efficacy of a single dose of norfloxacin in the treatment of chancroid.

Forty-one men with a clinically and bacteriologically verified diagnosis of chancroid were given a single dose of 800 mg of norfloxacin and were examined clinically and bacteriologically four, seven and 14 days after treatment. Five patients were excluded from evaluation of efficacy due to concomitant infections or incomplete follow-up. Of the remaining 36 patients, 34 were cured and culture negative at follow-up controls. Another 15 men with culture-negative ulcers treated with 800 mg of norfloxacin as a single dose, were all cured clinically. The high cure rate and the good tolerability make norfloxacin a convenient and cheap alternative to intramuscular single dose therapy of chancroid.

Efficacy of ofloxacin in uncomplicated gonorrhoea.

A randomised double blind trial comparing single oral dose therapy with 200 mg and 400 mg of ofloxacin, respectively was conducted at the Bangrak Hospital, Bangkok during the period December 6, 1985 to January 24, 1986. We treated 234 male patients diagnosed as having uncomplicated gonococcal urethritis with ofloxacin. Ofloxacin, at a single dose of 200 mg or 400 mg, was given to each of them. Fourteen patients were excluded for efficacy assessment. There were 223 patients left for safety assessment. The cure rates were 100% in both groups. Among 233 isolates tested, 48.5% were penicillinase producing Neisseria gonorrhoeae. The range of minimum inhibitory concentrations of ofloxacin was 0.008 to 0.063 mg/l. No adverse drug experiences were reported.

Treating gonococcal infections resistant to penicillin in Bangkok: comparison of cefuroxime and spectinomycin.

Gonococcal organisms have become resistant to antimicrobials throughout the world. Such resistance is common in Thailand, where 40% of gonococci produce penicillinase (PPNG strains) and over half the remainder have MICs of penicillin greater than or equal to 1 mg/l. To evaluate the effectiveness of cefuroxime against such resistant organisms, a controlled clinical trial comparing spectinomycin and cefuroxime was conducted at Bangrak Hospital, Bangkok, in 1982-3. Of 472 patients who were randomly assigned to treatment, 365 (77%) yielded positive cultures before treatment and returned for follow up evaluation three to 13 days after treatment. Of the 365 patients, 359 (98%) were cured, and no difference between the two treatment regimens was found either by the sex of the patient or by the presence of PPNG strains. The MIC of cefuroxime against all organisms was less than or equal to 1 mg/l. In vitro susceptibilities of gonococci in Bangkok have not changed appreciably during the past two years. Regimens of cefuroxime and spectinomycin are highly effective even for the relatively resistant gonococci in Bangkok. The pharmacokinetics, in vitro susceptibilities, and effectiveness of cefuroxime encourage evaluation of lower doses of the drug.

Randomised comparative study of ceftriaxone and spectinomycin in gonorrhoea.

From 26 April to 30 June 1983 a total of 200 men with uncomplicated gonococcal urethritis were randomly treated with either 2 g spectinomycin or 250 mg ceftriaxone, both administered intramuscularly. Of 197 isolates tested for the presence of the enzyme beta lactamase, 91 (46.2%) were positive (PPNG) and 106 (53.8%) were non-PPNG strains. All 93 patients treated with spectinomycin and followed up and 97 treated with ceftriaxone and followed up were cured. Ceftriaxone 250 mg administered by intramuscular injection is highly effective in treating gonococcal infections caused by both PPNG and non-PPNG strains and is an appropriate alternative to spectinomycin.

Single-dose treatment of uncomplicated gonorrhea in men with intramuscular and oral thiamphenicol.

Each of 200 men with uncomplicated gonococcal urethritis was randomly assigned to a group receiving one of two therapeutic regimens. Group A received 2 g of spectinomycin intramuscularly. Group B received 2.5 g of thiamphenicol, with 500 mg administered intramuscularly just after oral administration of 2 g. Of the 89 patients in group A who completed the study, 32 were infected with penicillinase-producing Neisseria gonorrhoeae, 49 with non-penicillinase-producing N. gonorrhoeae, and eight with gonococcal strains not tested for penicillinase production. Infection was cured in all 89 patients. Of the 91 patients in group B who completed the study, 33 were infected with penicillinase-producing N. gonorrhoeae, 54 with non-penicillinase-producing N. gonorrhoeae, and four with gonococcal strains not tested for penicillinase production. Infection was cured in 86 (94.5%) of the 91 patients. Thus, the single-dose regimen of thiamphenicol was effective against uncomplicated infections caused by either penicillinase-producing or non-penicillinase-producing strains of N. gonorrhoeae.

Rosoxacin in the treatment of uncomplicated gonorrhoea in men.

Between 3 January and 4 March 1983 we treated 200 male patients diagnosed as having uncomplicated gonococcal urethritis with one of two regimens. They were divided into two groups and randomly assigned to treatment with either 2 g spectinomycin administered intramuscularly (group A) or 300 mg rosoxacin by mouth (group B). Of 187 isolates tested for the production of beta-lactamase, 101 (54%) were penicillinase producing Neisseria gonorrhoeae (PPNG) strains. All 81 cases followed in group A (spectinomycin) were cured, compared with 88.5% (77 out of 87) of the patients followed in group B (rosoxacin). We concluded that rosoxacin at a dosage of 300 mg administered orally was fairly effective in the treatment of gonococcal urethritis in men caused by both PPNG and non-PPNG strains.

Cefaclor and cefamandole as alternatives to spectinomycin in the treatment of men with uncomplicated gonorrhoea.

Between 25 December 1981 and 11 March 1982, 400 men with uncomplicated gonococcal urethritis were randomly assigned to one of four treatment regimens: spectinomycin 2 g intramuscularly (group A); cefamandole 1 g intramuscularly after probenecid 1 g orally (group B); cefaclor 3 g orally with probenecid 1 g orally (group C); and cefaclor 3 g orally (group D). The cure rates were 91 of 92 (98.9%) in group A, 68 of 96 (70.8%) in group B, 88 of 92 (95.8%) in group C, and 86 of 96 (89.6%) in group D. Cefaclor at a dose of 3 g given orally with 1 g probenecid appears to be an effective alternative to spectinomycin 2 g in the treatment of gonorrhoea in areas where strains of penicillinase producing Neisseria gonorrhoeae (PPNG) are prevalent.