Eradication of chlamydia trachomatis from the urethras of men with nongonococcal urethritis by treatment with amoxicillin

: Twenty men with nongonococcal urethritis were treated orally with amoxicillin (750 mg three times daily for 10 days). One man had herpes simplex virus infection of the urethra. Chlamydia trachomatis was isolated from the urethras of six (32) of the remaining men. Urethral specimens cultured for C. trachomatis became negative during amoxicillin therapy for all six men and remained negative for all five men who were followed for 24-48 days. Amoxicillin did not eradicate Ureaplasma urealyticum from any of 13 colonized men. Nongonococcal urethritis persisted or recurred at greater than or equal to 14 days after initiation of treatment in one of five men with, and ten of twelve men without initial C. trachomatis infection (P = 0.06). Since multiple-dose penicillin regimens are used for the treatment of acute pelvic inflammatory disease and epididymitis, which are frequently caused by C trachomatis, the apparent efficacy of high-dose amoxicillin therapy for chlamydial urethritis in this study is of interest. However, until the results of further study of the efficacy of multiple-dose penicillin regimens for infections due to C. trachomatis are known, tetracyclines remain the treatment of choice for the majority of such complications.