Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy logoLink to Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy
. 1979 Feb;15(2):254–257. doi: 10.1128/aac.15.2.254

Strain of Trichomonas vaginalis Resistant to Metronidazole and Other 5-Nitroimidazoles

Josef G Meingassner 1, Josefine Thurner 2
PMCID: PMC352642  PMID: 311617

Abstract

A strain of Trichomonas vaginalis (IR-78), recently isolated from a patient afflicted with recurrent symptomatic trichomoniasis, showed resistance to metronidazole, tinidazole, and nimorazole in vitro as well as in vivo. In a serial dilution test using cysteine monohydrochloride–peptone–liver infusion–maltose medium, T. vaginalis IR-78 was only resistant under aerobic conditions. Under anaerobic conditions it was as susceptible as the normal reference strain. The minimal lethal concentrations of metronidazole, tinidazole, and nimorazole for IR-78 were 100, 50, and 50 μg/ml aerobically and 0.4, 0.4, and 0.2 μg/ml anaérobically, respectively. The efficacy of metronidazole, tinidazole, and nimorazole was assessed in vivo by oral administration to mice simultaneously infected with IR-78 both subcutaneously and intraperitoneally. The CD50 (dose needed to cure 50% of infections) of each compound was significantly higher for the subcutaneous than for the intraperitoneal infection. In contrast, there was little difference in CD50 for these infections in mice inoculated with a susceptible trichomonas strain. The CD50's for all three compounds against intraperitoneal and subcutaneous infections with IR-78 were 2 to >70 times higher than for susceptible strain E. Both forms of infection with IR-78 could always be cured with therapeutically acceptable doses of tinidazole and nimorazole; subcutaneous infections could not be cured with tolerated doses of metronidazole.

Full text

PDF
254

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Arnold M. Beobachtungen und Probleme bei der Behandlung der Trichomonas vaginalis. Ther Umsch. 1966 Sep;23(9):356–359. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Aure J. C., Gjonnaess H. Metronidazole treatment of trichomonal vaginitis. A comparison of cure rates in 1961 and 1967. Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand. 1969;48(3):440–445. doi: 10.3109/00016346909156659. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Benazet F., Guillaume L. Induction of in-vivo resistance of trichomonas vaginalis to nitrimidazine. Lancet. 1971 Oct 30;2(7731):982–983. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(71)90309-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. DECARNERI I., BALDI G. F., GIANNONE R., PASSALIA S. OSSERVAZIONI PRELIMINARI SU CEPPI DI TRICHOMONAS VAGINALIS NATURALMENTE RESISTENTI AL METRONIDAZOLO. Arch Ostet Ginecol. 1963 Jul-Aug;68:422–432. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. De Carneri I. Perspectives in the treatment of protozoal diseases resistant to metronidazole. Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg. 1971;65(2):268–270. doi: 10.1016/0035-9203(71)90277-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Diddle A. W. Trichomonas vaginalis: resistance to metronidazole. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 1967 Jun 15;98(4):583–585. doi: 10.1016/0002-9378(67)90118-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Giannone T. Rilievi sull'aumento della resistenza al metronidazolo dei ceppi di Trichomonas vaginalis in Lombardia. Minerva Ginecol. 1972 May;24(7):354–355. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Ingham H. R., Eaton S., Venables C. W., Adams P. C. Bacteroides fragilis resistant to metronidazole after long-term therapy. Lancet. 1978 Jan 28;1(8057):214–214. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(78)90655-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. KANE P. O., McFADZEAN J. A., SQUIRES S. Absorption and excretion of metronidazole. II. Studies on primary failures. Br J Vener Dis. 1961 Dec;37:276–277. doi: 10.1136/sti.37.4.276. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Korner B., Jensen H. K. Sensitivity of Trichomonas vaginalis to metronidazole, tinidazole, and nifuratel in vitro. Br J Vener Dis. 1976 Dec;52(6):404–408. doi: 10.1136/sti.52.6.404. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Kurnatowska A. Metronidazole resistance of Trichomonas vaginalis Donné. Wiad Parazytol. 1969;15(3):399–401. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Lindmark D. G., Müller M. Antitrichomonad action, mutagenicity, and reduction of metronidazole and other nitroimidazoles. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 1976 Sep;10(3):476–482. doi: 10.1128/aac.10.3.476. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. McFadzean J. A., Pugh I. M., Squires S. L., Whelan J. P. Further observations on strain sensitivity of Trichomonas vaginalis to metronidazole. Br J Vener Dis. 1969 Jun;45(2):161–162. doi: 10.1136/sti.45.2.161. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Meingassner J. G., Havelec L., Mieth H. Studies on strain sensitivity of Trichomonas vaginalis to metronidazole. Br J Vener Dis. 1978 Apr;54(2):72–76. doi: 10.1136/sti.54.2.72. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Meingassner J. G., Mieth H. Cross-resistance of Trichomonads to 5-nitroimidazole-derivatives. Experientia. 1976 Feb 15;32(2):183–184. doi: 10.1007/BF01937754. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Meingassner J. G., Mieth H., Czok R., Lindmark D. G., Müller M. Assay conditions and the demonstration of nitroimidazole resistance in Tritrichomonas foetus. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 1978 Jan;13(1):1–3. doi: 10.1128/aac.13.1.1. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Robinson S. C. Trichomonal Vaginitis Resistant to Metranidazole. Can Med Assoc J. 1962 Apr 7;86(14):665–665. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Roe F. J. Metronidazole: review of uses and toxicity. J Antimicrob Chemother. 1977 May;3(3):205–212. doi: 10.1093/jac/3.3.205. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy are provided here courtesy of American Society for Microbiology (ASM)

RESOURCES