[Azithromycin in the treatment of syphilis]

The results of the use of azithromycin (sumamed) in the treatment of 100 patients with fresh syphilis were analyzed. The antibiotic was used in accordance with two treatment schemes: 500 mg daily for 10 days and 500 mg every two days. The total course dose was 5 g in both the cases. The results of the treatment with azithromycin were compared with those of the treatment with erythromycin (30 g) and penicillin (300,000 U every 3 hours for 16-28 days depending on the disease stage). The results were estimated by the rate of the elimination of Treponema pallidum and syphilids as well as by the time course of the seroreactions. The analysis provided a conclusion that the therapeutic efficacy of sumamed in the treatment of patients with fresh manifest syphilis was high: by comparison with penicillin and erythromycin it more rapidly eliminated the clinical signs of syphilis and in the majority of the cases induced negativation of the cutaneous serological reactions within the first 4 months of the treatment.