Empiric syndromic management
› Empiric coverage triggers
› Symptomatic urethritis or cervicitis with high STI risk
› Same-day treatment when follow-up uncertain
› Co-treatment for chlamydia if not excluded
› Pelvic inflammatory disease with minimum criteria
› Low threshold for empiric therapy
› Delay increases sequelae risk
› Suspected syphilis with compatible lesion
› Stage-based treatment while awaiting confirmation when follow-up uncertain
› Baseline nontreponemal titer preferred before first dose
› Allergy and contraindication guardrails
› Severe cephalosporin allergy
› Avoid ceftriaxone
› Alternative gonorrhea regimen
› Pregnancy and lactation constraints
› Avoid doxycycline in pregnancy
› Penicillin required for syphilis in pregnancy
› Uncomplicated urogenital or rectal gonorrhea
› Ceftriaxone IM single dose
› 500 mg IM single dose for body weight under 150 kg
› Observe for immediate hypersensitivity
› Injection site counseling
› 1 g IM single dose for body weight 150 kg or higher
› Same monitoring
› Consider antiemetic support if nausea
› Chlamydia not excluded
› Doxycycline 100 mg PO twice daily for 7 days
› Avoid in pregnancy
› Photosensitivity counseling
› Pharyngeal gonorrhea
› Ceftriaxone IM single dose
› Same weight-based dosing as uncomplicated infection
› Test of cure recommended
› Test of cure timing
› NAAT at 7 to 14 days
› Culture preferred when available for persistent symptoms
› Alternative regimens when ceftriaxone not feasible
› Cefixime PO single dose
› 800 mg PO single dose
› Lower efficacy for pharyngeal infection
› Test of cure recommended
› Chlamydia not excluded
› Doxycycline 100 mg PO twice daily for 7 days
› Azithromycin 1 g PO single dose in pregnancy
› Cephalosporin allergy alternative
› Gentamicin plus azithromycin
› Gentamicin 240 mg IM single dose
› Nephrotoxicity risk counseling
› Avoid in significant renal impairment when alternatives exist
› Azithromycin 2 g PO single dose
› Nausea and vomiting risk
› QT prolongation risk review
› Uncomplicated urogenital or rectal chlamydia
› Preferred regimen
› Doxycycline 100 mg PO twice daily for 7 days
› Higher effectiveness for rectal infection
› Avoid in pregnancy
› Alternative regimens
› Azithromycin 1 g PO single dose
› Use in pregnancy
› Consider lower effectiveness for rectal infection
› Levofloxacin 500 mg PO daily for 7 days
› Tendinopathy risk counseling
› Avoid in pregnancy
› Lymphogranuloma venereum suspected or confirmed
› Doxycycline 100 mg PO twice daily for 21 days
› Proctocolitis symptoms
› Inguinal buboes management
› Specialist follow-up
› Test of cure planning
› Co-infection evaluation
› Primary secondary or early latent syphilis
› Benzathine penicillin G IM
› 2.4 million units IM single dose
› Administer as two injections at different sites when formulation requires
› Monitor for immediate allergy
› Penicillin allergy and nonpregnant
› Doxycycline 100 mg PO twice daily for 14 days
› Adherence critical
› Avoid in pregnancy
› Late latent or unknown duration syphilis
› Benzathine penicillin G IM weekly
› 2.4 million units IM weekly for 3 doses
› Total 7.2 million units
› Avoid missed dose intervals beyond 10 to 14 days when possible
› Penicillin allergy and nonpregnant
› Doxycycline 100 mg PO twice daily for 28 days
› Lower evidence certainty than penicillin
› Strict follow-up titers
› Neurosyphilis ocular syphilis or otosyphilis
› Aqueous crystalline penicillin G IV
› 18 to 24 million units per day for 10 to 14 days
› 3 to 4 million units IV every 4 hours option
› Continuous infusion option
› Alternative regimen when adherence and monitoring feasible
› Procaine penicillin G IM plus probenecid
› Procaine penicillin G 2.4 million units IM daily for 10 to 14 days
› Monitor for allergy
› Ensure reliable daily dosing
› Probenecid 500 mg PO four times daily for 10 to 14 days
› Drug interaction review
› Renal dosing consideration
› Jarisch-Herxheimer reaction counseling
› Expected within 24 hours after therapy for early syphilis
› Fever and myalgias
› Supportive care
› Pregnancy risk
› Possible uterine contractions
› Obstetrics notification
Partner management and follow-up
Copy › Partner treatment
› Gonorrhea and chlamydia partner window
› Sexual partners in past 60 days
› Most recent partner if no partners in 60 days
› Syphilis partner window
› Primary syphilis partners within 3 months plus symptom duration
› Secondary syphilis partners within 6 months plus symptom duration
› Early latent partners within 12 months
› Expedited partner therapy where permitted
› Indications
› Heterosexual partner of gonorrhea or chlamydia patient
› Barriers to timely partner evaluation
› Limitations
› Not recommended for syphilis
› Limited evidence for pharyngeal gonorrhea partner management without evaluation
› Retesting and test of cure
› Gonorrhea retest
› Retest at 3 months for reinfection
› Earlier if symptoms recur
› Chlamydia retest
› Retest at 3 months for reinfection
› Test of cure in pregnancy at about 4 weeks after therapy
› Syphilis serologic follow-up
› Nontreponemal titer at 6 and 12 months for early syphilis
› Longer follow-up for late latent
› Fourfold titer decline expectation with successful response in many early infections