The effectiveness of single-dose metronidazole therapy for patients and their partners with bacterial vaginosis

Abstract

A randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind clinical trial was performed to test the hypothesis that a 2-g single dose of metronidazole for male partners of women with bacterial vaginosis was more effective than placebo in improving cure rate and decreasing recurrence rate. In addition, the effectiveness of a 2-g single dose of metronidazole was compared with a seven-day course of 500 mg of metronidazole twice a day in patients with bacterial vaginosis. Statistically significant benefits of partner treatment were noted in the initial cure rate by Gram-stained smear criteria (P less than .01) and in percentage of women with symptoms eight weeks after initiating therapy (P less than .05). The seven-day course of metronidazole was superior to the single-dose regimen in the percentage of patients with clue cells and the percentage of patients with a positive "sniff" test at the first follow-up visit; however, differences in the initial cure rate assessed by clinical criteria and Gram-stained smear criteria were not statistically significant between the two patient treatment regimens. Recurrence rates by Gram-stained smear criteria between patient and partner treatment groups at five and eight weeks after initiation of treatment were also not significantly different between the two patient regimens. Single-dose metronidazole treatment of the sexual partner of women with bacterial vaginosis improves initial bacterial vaginosis cure rates. The seven-day course of metronidazole was not found by statistical analysis to be significantly superior to single-dose therapy when considering initial cure rates by clinical or Gram-stained smear criteria or recurrence rates.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)