Repeat and persistent rectal chlamydia infections fell measurably at a large Seattle sexual health clinic after it moved away from single-dose azithromycin in favor of a seven-day course of doxycycline, according to a 13-year analysis of electronic health records published in Open Forum Infectious Diseases.
The result matters beyond one clinic. Rectal chlamydia is the most common bacterial sexually transmitted infection among men who have sex with men. It is usually symptomless, and repeat positive tests after treatment have been a persistent frustration for patients and clinicians alike. This is among the first real-world evidence that changing what gets prescribed reduces those repeat infections at the population level.
