Single day or single dose treatment of urinary tract infection with Co-trimoxazole

Forty-eight women with urinary tract infection due to Co-trimoxazole sensitive organisms were randomly allocated to receive either two tablets (0.96 grams) of Co-trimoxazole twice a day for one day, four tablets (1.92 grams) of Co-trimoxazole as a single dose, or, two tablets of Co-trimoxazole twice a day for seven days. The infection cure rate was comparable in each group being 82%, 87% and 81% respectively. The patients who received the single dose had a high incidence of minor side effects. Accordingly one-day treatment appears to be the treatment mode of choice. Failure to respond to single dose or single day treatment may indicate those patients requiring investigation of their urinary tract.