Gonorrheal Urethritis in Males Treated with a Single Oral Dose of Minocycline

Abstract

T HE EFFICACY of penicillin for the treatment of gonorrhea is waning.Increasing resistance of the gonococcus to penicillin during the past 20 years has forced escalation of the recommended dose from 160,000 units to 2,400,000 units for males and 4,800,000 units for females.Sulfonamides were widely used to treat gon- orrhea at the end of the 1930's.Resistance of gonococci to sulfonamides today, however, is so great that by themselves they are no longer useful.We believe it is essential to try new drugs as the incidence of gonorrhea in the lJnited States oontinues to increase, and the susceptibility of the gonococcus to penicillin continues to decrease.Minocycline, manufactured by Lederle Lab- oratories, is composed of 7-dimethylamino-6- deoxy-6-dimethyltetracycline.Steigbigel and