Spectinomycin: minimum inhibitory concentrations for Neisseria gonorrhoeae.

Actinospectacin, a broad-spectrum antibiotic derived from Streptomyces spectabilis, was released for clinical trials more than 10 years ago. Although it possesses activity against many micro-organisms, both Gram-positive and Gram-negative, its use has been limited mainly to the treatment of gonorrhoea. Its efficacy in the treatment of this disease has been reported by a number of investigators. Laird and Taylor (1962) claimed that a single injection of 2 g. actinospectacin sulphate effected a cure in 47 (94 per cent.) of fifty male patients. Willcox (1963) showed that, of 134 male patients similarly treated, only thirteen (9 7 per cent.) could be considered as treatment failures. More recently, actinospectacin has been prepared as the hydrochloride and it is now available as spectinomycin dihydrochloride pentahydrate (Trobicin). This preparation is more soluble and less likely to cause discomfort on injection, which makes it particularly helpful in the treatment of the female patient for whom a single injection of 4 g. spectinomycin is the recommended dosage. The success of spectinomycin hydrochloride in the treatment of gonorrhoea has been reported in a number of recent publications (Duncan, Holder, Roberts, and Knox, 1972; Reyn, Schmidt, Trier, and Bentzon, 1973). Before the release of this new preparation for clinical trial in Great Britain in June, 1973, it seemed worth while to ascertain the minimum inhibitory concentrations of spectinomycin for strains of N. gonorrhoeae routinely isloated from patients attending the Special Treatment Centre in Aberdeen.