Drug treatment of venereal disease: analysis of 273 cases in Ghana

Abstract

The presence of non-gonococcal urethritis, resistant to penicillin therapy was noted by Ikejiani in Nigeria as early as 1955. This syndrome is now known as non-specific urethritis, or non-specific genital infection in the female. Sarrat (1973) has shown the effectiveness of penicillin plus probenecid, specti nomycin, and cotrimoxazole in male cases of gonorrhoea in Dakar. Sogbetun and Osoba (1974) have shown the effectiveness of metronidazole in trichomoniasis in males in Nigeria. Our study was made on a mixed University population of 2,700 students seen in one clinic during the year 1975. There were 273 cases of sexually transmitted diseases including gonorrhoea, non-specific urethritis or genital disease, trichomoniasis and chronic urethritis or vaginitis. Treatment of gonorrhoea with penicillin alone or with spectinomycin was only 50% effective. But good results were obtained with penicillin plus probenecid or penicillin plus cotrimoxazole. Good results were obtained in non-specific urethritis, or non-specific genital disease, when tetracycline or its derivatives were used. Good results were obtained in the treatment of trichomoniasis with metronidazole in males and females. It was concluded that in gonorrhoea penicillin should be given (in adequate dosage) with probenecid or cotrimoxazole. Spectinomycin should be used at a dose level of 4 g instead of 2 g. The management of chronic urethritis and vaginitis was very difficult. The drug treatment of venereal disease in Ghana has not revealed any unique characteristics except, perhaps, an increased resistance of the gonococcus to spectinomycin.