Comparative clinical efficacy of two different single-dose ciprofloxacin treatments for uncomplicated gonorrhea

The clinical efficacies of two different single-dose, oral treatments with ciprofloxacin were evaluated in a double-blind randomized study of 50 men with gonococcal urethritis. Two groups of patients were studied. The 25 patients in group A (age, 18-32 years; mean = 26.2) received a single dose of 250 mg of ciprofloxacin; the 25 in group B (age, 16-42 years; mean = 26.3) received a single dose of 100 mg of ciprofloxacin. The minimal inhibitory concentrations of ciprofloxacin for all the isolates were less than or equal to 0.0015 microgram/ml. Neisseria gonorrhoeae was eradicated from all 50 patients; 80% of them were clinically cured, and 20% developed postgonococcal urethritis. There was no significant difference between the two treatments evaluated. We conclude that a single oral dose of 100 mg of ciprofloxacin could be an alternative treatment for uncomplicated gonorrhea in men. Neither treatment prevented the development of postgonococcal urethritis.