Chlamydial cervicitis and urethritis: single dose treatment compared with doxycycline for seven days in community based practises.

STUDY GOAL: To compare the efficacy and safety of single 1 g oral azithromycin with doxycycline, 100 mg twice daily for seven days for treatment of uncomplicated urogenital chlamydial infection.

STUDY

DESIGN

Randomised, unblinded, comparative trial, involving 597 patients demonstrating clinical evidence of genital chlamydia and a positive non-culture assay for Chlamydia trachomatis.

RESULTS

Among the azithromycin- and doxycycline-treated patients 61% and 60%, respectively, were asymptomatic within one week after the first dose. At two weeks, these figures increased to 86% and 83%, respectively. Bacteriological eradication, based on a negative assay, occurred in 338 (97%) of 347 azithromycin-treated patients and 161 (99%) of 163 doxycycline-treated patients.

CONCLUSION

Treatment of uncomplicated chlamydial cervicitis and urethritis with single 1 g oral azithromycin is equivalent to standard therapy with doxycycline. Drug-related adverse events were approximately twice as common as previously reported for both drugs.