[afro-nets] Syphilis and Azithromycin

[Claudio Schuftan <claudio@hcmc.netnam.vn>]

Syphilis and Azithromycin
-------------------------
From: R. Koppenleitner

TANZANIA: "Antibiotic Pill for Syphilis Holds Promise"
Associated Press (09.21.05)

A single oral dose of the antibiotic azithromycin is just as ef-
fective as penicillin injections in treating syphilis, according
to a Tanzania-based study in Thursday's New England Journal of
Medicine.

An injection of penicillin has long been the recommended treat-
ment for syphilis. But in poor countries where there is often a
shortage of sterile needles and trained physicians to administer
the injections, azithromycin might be a viable alternative, Dr.
Gabriele Riedner of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical
Medicine and colleagues reported.

In Mbeya, Tanzania, 328 syphilis patients received either an
azithromycin pill or a shot of penicillin and were followed up
every three months for up to nine months. In both groups, the
cure rate was similar: 98 percent in the azithromycin group com-
pared to 95 percent in the penicillin group.

Penicillin is likely to remain the treatment standard in the
United States because of its effectiveness. Last year, research-
ers detected a syphilis strain resistant to azithromycin. Ried-
ner noted that there is no evidence that an antibiotic-resistant
strain is widespread in Tanzania.

Azithromycin treatment is also being studied in four US cities
and in Madagascar.

The full study, "Single-Dose Azithromycin Versus Penicillin G
Benzathine for the Treatment of Early Syphilis," and an accompa-
nying editorial, "Azithromycin Versus Penicillin G Benzathine
for Early Syphilis," were published in the New England Journal
of Medicine (2005;353(12):1236-1244 and 1291-1293, respectively)