In this RCT, antibiotic treatment for women with BV was oral metronidazole 400mg for 7 days, and their regular male partners received oral metronidazole plus 2% clindamycin cream to the penis, or no treatment (current practice).1 The sample size was calculated based on an estimated recurrence rate within 12 weeks of 40%.
The study stopped early as the treatment group had a much lower rate of recurrence compared to the no treatment group (35% vs 63%), and a longer time to recurrence (74 vs 54 days).
Clindamycin cream is not readily available in NZ. HealthPathways suggest that a second line option for women, which we could adapt for men, is clindamycin 2% compounded into 1% clotrimazole cream (unfunded treatment) – one application daily to the penis for 7 nights. (Note, there is a risk of vaginal candidiasis when women use it directly in second line treatment for BV).
As published in NZ Doctor and Research Review
