ERYTHROMYCIN VERSUS METRONIDAZOLE IN THE TREATMENT OF BACTERIAL VAGINOSIS

Of 101 women, 15-50 years of age, presenting with vaginal discharge, 3 4 had bacterial vaginosis and were randomly assigned to a seven-day co urse of oral treatment with either erythromycin (0.5 g b.i.d.) or metr onidazole (0.4 g b.i.d.) in a single-blind, cross-over study. Treatmen t failure (greater-than-or-equal-to three clinical signs of bacterial vaginosis) occurred in 13 (81%) of 16 patients given erythromycin, as compared with three (17%) of 18 women treated with metronidazole (p<0. 001). Persistence of Gardnerella vaginalis, Mobiluncus species and/or Mycoplasma hominis was found in 14 of 16 patients treated with erythro mycin, and in four of 16 patients treated with metronidazole. Treatmen t with metronidazole was successful (less-than-or-equal-to two clinica l signs of bacterial vaginosis) in eight of 10 cases of erythromycin t reatment failure. Neither of two cases of metronidazole treatment fail ure was cured with erythromycin. At three-month follow-up of 31 women, persistence or recurrence of bacterial vaginosis was diagnosed in 11 cases (36%).