Successful Treatment with Cefaclor of Gonococcal Urethritis in Men

Abstract

Cefaclor, a new orally administered cephalosporin, was evaluated by a randomized trial for effectiveness in the treatment of uncomplicated urethritis due to N. gonorrhoeae in men. Regimens included 2, 3 and 4 g of cefaclor, with or without 1 g of orally administered probenecid, as single daily doses for 3 days. The diagnoses were confirmed by isolation of N. gonorrhoeae; cures or therapeutic failures were determined by follow-up cultures on day 7 after completion of therapy. Of 90 treated patients, 66 (73%) were evaluable for efficacy. The bacteriologic cure rate was 98% (65/66); 1 patient treated with 2 g of cefaclor plus probenecid had a positive culture for N. gonorrhoeae on follow-up examination. Adverse reactions consisted of mild nausea in 5 patients (7%) and vomiting in 1 patient (1%) who received 3 or 4 g doses. No treatment was discontinued, and no abnormality of screening hematologic tests or enzymes was observed. Cefaclor given in multiple doses was highly efficacious for treatment of uncomplicated gonococcal urethritis in men.