A randomized controlled trial of azithromycin versus doxycycline/ciprofloxacin for the syndromic management of sexually transmitted infections in a resource-poor setting

Abstract

A randomized controlled trial was carried out to assess the effectiveness of azithromycin versus a standard regimen with doxycycline/ciprofloxacin in the treatment of sexually transmitted infections in a resource-poor environment. Infection with Chlamydia trachomatis was cured in 23/24 (95.8%) of women in the azithromycin arm versus 19/21 (90.5%) in the doxycycline arm (P = 0.6), resulting in three treatment failures. Gonorrhoea was cured in 55/56 (98.2%) women, with one treatment failure in a patient with concomitant C. trachomatis infection. These results indicate that a single oral dose of azithromycin may prove to be a more effective and convenient treatment for sexually transmitted infections in women in a resource-poor environment