Treatment of Chlamydia-positive and Chlamydia-negative nonspecific and postgonococcal urethritis

Chlamydial and non-chlamydial nonspecific or postgonococcal urethritis in 132 men was treated with different regimens of chlortetracycline and doxycycline. Chlortetracycline 250 mg four times daily for 12.5-18.5 days given to 70 men resulted in a clinical cure of urethritis in 80% of cases (56/70). There was no difference in the cure rate between chlamydia-positive (40) and chlamydia-negative (30) cases. In no instance was the treatment failure, i.e., re-appearance of urethritis, associated with re-isolation of C. trachomatis. Forty-two men received 4-10 days treatment with chlortetracycline and their cure rate was 67% (28/42). In this group 29 men were initially chlamydia-positive and among this group 12 relapsed. In four cases this relapse was associated with re-isolation of C. trachomatis. In a group of 20 men treated with doxycycline (100 mg daily up to 20 days) the cure rate was 45% (9/20)) only.