Drugs Five Years Later: Spectinomycin

Abstract

A single intramuscular injection of 2.0 g of spectinomycin hydrochloride is highly effective for the treatment of uncomplicated anogenital infections with Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Spectinomycin hydrochloride is indicated for uncomplicated anogenital gonococcal infections in men and women who cannot receive penicillin or probenecid, and is the drug of choice for the retreatment of patients with uncomplicated anogenital gonococcal infection who have not responded to other antibiotics. A single dose of spectinomycin does not appear to be reliably effective in the treatment of gonococcal pharyngitis. Preliminary reports indicate that multiple-dose schedules of spectinomycin will prove to be effective in gonococcal pelvic inflammatory disease and disseminated gonococcal infection. In the dosage used for gonococcal infections, spectinomycin has little effect on infection with Treponema pallidum. Evaluation of this antibiotic against other microorganisms suggests little utility for this agent in conditions other than gonococcal infections.