Comparison of ketoconazole, Bay N7133, and Bay L9139 in the treatment of experimental vaginal candidiasis.

The efficacies of ketoconazole and two new imidazole preparations, Bay N7133 and Bay L9139, were compared in a rat model of experimental candida vaginitis. With a dosage regimen of 10 mg/kg by gavage for 5 days, the cure rate for ketoconazole was 96% as compared with rates of 23 and 29% for Bay N7133 and Bay L9139, respectively (P less than 0.001). Follow-up vaginal cultures at 30 days revealed a relapse in only 1 of 27 rats treated with ketoconazole. Our subsequent experiment in which ketoconazole regimens of 10 mg/kg were compared with Bay N7133 and Bay L9139 regimens of 25 mg/kg demonstrated cure rates of 100, 15, and 82% for the respective agents.