Single-Dose Oral Fluconazole in the Treatment of Vaginal Candidosis

Early studies in patients demonstrated the potential of fluconazole, as a single oral 150-mg dose, for the treatment of vaginal candidosis. Fluconazole concentrations in plasma following this dose exceed the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) for most strains of Candida albicans (0.4-0.8 mg/l) for 3-4 days. This paper presents the results of two multicenter clinical studies in which the efficacy of this fluconazole dosage was compared with 1) intravaginal clotrimazole (200 mg, in a standard local treatment for 3 consecutive days) and 2) oral ketoconazole (200 mg, twice a day for 5 consecutive days) in the treatment of patients with acute vaginal candidosis.