The efficacy of azithromycin and doxycycline treatment for rectal chlamydial infection: a retrospective cohort study in South Australia

Abstract

Background: There are ongoing concerns about treatment failure with azithromycin for the treatment of rectal chlamydia. Aim: To investigate treatment efficacy of two treatments for rectal chlamydial infection. Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of all patients diagnosed with rectal chlamydial infection between 2009 and 2015 in Adelaide, Australia. Patients were treated with either azithromycin (1 g single dose) or doxycycline (100 mg twice a day for 10 days) and returned for repeat testing 14–180 days after treatment commenced. Log-binomial models were used to estimate the relative risk (RR) of recurrent rectal chlamydia associated with the treatment with azithromycin versus doxy..