Scientists from the USA and Kenya have found that taking the antibiotic doxycycline after sex does not protect women from sexually transmitted bacterial infections. The work is available at: conferences retroviral and opportunistic infections.
Previous studies of doxycycline have shown efficacy in preventing sexually transmitted infections in men. A new trial of antibiotics was conducted on 449 women in Kenya who received daily oral preexposure prophylaxis.
Within 12 months, 50 women in the doxycycline group and 59 women in the non-antibiotic group developed a new infection. No difference indicates that the antibiotic is ineffective in preventing bacterial infections.
Most of the new infections were caused by chlamydia and gonococcus. The authors of the study believe that the ineffectiveness of the antibiotic may be due to anatomical differences, bacterial resistance to antibiotics, or patients’ non-compliance with the treatment regimen.
The study was led by scientists from the University of Washington (UW), the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), and the Hennepin Health Research Institute (HHRI).