The outcome of oropharyngeal gonorrhoea treatment with different regimens

Little is known of the efficacy of different antibiotics for the treatment of oropharyngeal gonorrhoea in routine clinical practice. The aim of the study was to investigate the treatment outcome of oropharyngeal gonorrhoea with different antibiotics. Case-notes of culturally proven oropharyngeal gonorrhoea diagnosed between January 1998 and January 2003 were reviewed for the antibiotic of choice and the result of test-of-cure (TOC) seven and 14 days after treatment. Of 117 episodes of pharyngeal gonorrhoea, 77 episodes (66%) were followed up with one TOC and 25 (21%) had two TOC. Treatment failure was recorded in 10% (8/77) of episodes: the failure rate was 28% (4/14) in patients treated with amoxicillin 3 g/probenecid 1 g stat and 11% (4/35) in those treated with ciprofloxacin 500 mg stat. The failure rate in treating pharyngeal gonorrhoea supports the need for a pharyngeal TOC culture as part of routine follow-up for patients infected at this site. As only 66% of patients had a TOC culture, efforts should be made to increase the number of patients having a TOC.