"One-minute treatment" with thiamphenicol in 50,000 cases of gonorrhea: a 22-year study

The results obtained with single-dose (2.5 g of thiamphenicol) therapy of gonorrhea in 50,000 patients are reported. Male patients included recent cases of acute or subacute urethritis and uncomplicated cases; all female patients had uncomplicated gonorrhea. Asymptomatic gonorrhea in both men and women was included in the therapy trial in all cases when "epidemiological" treatment was necessary. Tolerance of thiamphenicol was excellent; we observed only 62 cases of gastralgia or nausea and 12 cases of generalized pruritus reaction. No hematologic side effect was reported. The prescribed dose does not conceal incubating syphilis since 211 cases of recent syphilis were observed. Failures are reported year by year from 1961 to 1982 and, on the average, failure rates for men and women were 3.42% and 3.24%, respectively.