Medication Summary
The goal of pharmacotherapy for lymphogranuloma venereum (LGV) is to reduce morbidity and to prevent complications.
Antibiotics
Class Summary
Empiric antimicrobial therapy must be comprehensive and should cover all likely pathogens in the context of the clinical setting.
Doxycycline (Doryx, Bio-Tab)
Doxycycline inhibits protein synthesis in bacteria by binding to the 30S and possibly the 50S ribosomal subunits.
Erythromycin base (Erythrocin)
Erythromycin base inhibits RNA-dependent protein synthesis, possibly by stimulating the dissociation of peptidyl t-RNA from ribosomes. This inhibits bacterial growth (ie, erythromycin is bacteriostatic, not bacteriocidal). In children, consider age, weight, and severity of infection to determine proper dosage. When twice-daily dosing is desired, half the total daily dose may be taken every 12 hours. For more severe infections, the dose may be doubled.
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Lymphogranuloma venereum is caused by the invasive serovars L1, L2, or L3 of Chlamydia trachomatis. This young adult experienced the acute onset of tender, enlarged lymph nodes in both groins. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons (Herbert L. Fred, MD, and Hendrik A. van Dijk, http://cnx.org/content/m14883/latest/).
