Gentamicin in the treatment of gonococcal urethritis. A microbiological, pharmacological, and clinical study.

Gentamicin is an aminoglycoside antibiotic complex derived from two species of Micromonospora It is chemically similar to neomycin and kanamycin. It is not significantly absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract but intramuscular injections are reported to give peak blood levels within 1 hour with a dose-dependent duration of detectable levels for 6 to 12 hours (Black, Calesnick, Williams, and Weinstein, 1963). The main side-effects are oto- toxicity involving the vestibular apparatus, which is largely dose related (Cox, 1970; Jackson and Arcieri, 1971), and, rarely, nephrotoxicity (Falco, Smith, and Arcieri, 1969).