The presence of non-gonococcal
urethritis, resistant to
penicillin therapy was noted by Ikejiani in Nigeria as early as 1955. This syndrome is now known as non-specific
urethritis, or non-specific genital
infection in the female. Sarrat (1973) has shown the effectiveness of
penicillin plus
probenecid, specti nomycin, and
cotrimoxazole in male cases of gonorrhoea in Dakar. Sogbetun and Osoba (1974) have shown the effectiveness of
metronidazole in
trichomoniasis in males in Nigeria. Our study was made on a mixed University population of 2,700 students seen in one clinic during the year 1975. There were 273 cases of
sexually transmitted diseases including gonorrhoea, non-specific
urethritis or
genital disease,
trichomoniasis and chronic
urethritis or
vaginitis. Treatment of gonorrhoea with
penicillin alone or with
spectinomycin was only 50% effective. But good results were obtained with
penicillin plus
probenecid or
penicillin plus
cotrimoxazole. Good results were obtained in non-specific
urethritis, or non-specific
genital disease, when
tetracycline or its derivatives were used. Good results were obtained in the treatment of
trichomoniasis with
metronidazole in males and females. It was concluded that in gonorrhoea
penicillin should be given (in adequate dosage) with
probenecid or
cotrimoxazole.
Spectinomycin should be used at a dose level of 4 g instead of 2 g. The management of chronic
urethritis and
vaginitis was very difficult. The
drug treatment of
venereal disease in Ghana has not revealed any unique characteristics except, perhaps, an increased resistance of the gonococcus to
spectinomycin.