Infections with the sexually transmitted parasite Trichomonas vaginalis are normally treated with metronidazole, but cure rates are suboptimal and recurrence rates following treatment are high. Therefore, our objective was to assess the in vitro antitrichomonas activities of three other 5-nitroimidazole drugs and compare them with metronidazole. T. vaginalis isolates (n = 94) isolated from South African women presenting with vaginal discharge syndrome at two sexually transmitted disease clinics in KwaZulu-Natal were grown from frozen stock. Twofold serial dilutions (16 to 0.25 mg/L) of metronidazole, tinidazole, ornidazole, and secnidazole were prepared in Diamond's broth. The MICs were read after 48 h of anaerobic incubation at 37°C. An MIC of <2 mg/L was defined as susceptible, an MIC of 2 mg/L was defined as intermediate, and an MIC of >2 mg/L was defined as resistant. Sixty-one percent (57/94) of the T. vaginalis isolates were susceptible to metronidazole, 80% (75/94) were susceptible to tinidazole, 75% (71/94) were susceptible to secnidazole, and 89% (84/94) were susceptible to ornidazole. Resistance levels were 11%, 2%, and 1% for metronidazole, tinidazole, and secnidazole, respectively, while no resistance was observed for ornidazole. Intermediate scores were 28% for metronidazole, 18% for tinidazole, 24% for secnidazole, and 11% for ornidazole. Isolates from a proportion of women with bacterial vaginosis (BV) had higher MICs, and no isolates from women coinfected with another sexually transmitted infectious organism were resistant to any of the antimicrobials tested. This study showed that among T. vaginalis isolates in KwaZulu-Natal, there is no in vitro resistance to ornidazole. Of the 5-nitroimidazoles, metronidazole showed the highest level of resistance. The very low levels of resistance for the other three antimicrobials indicate that all three are viable options as a replacement for metronidazole if these in vitro findings are found to correlate with clinical outcomes. IMPORTANCE Trichomonas vaginalis is the most common nonviral sexually transmitted infection associated with reproductive sequelae and HIV acquisition risk worldwide. Despite its role in reproductive health, a high prevalence in South Africa, and the reported metronidazole resistance worldwide, no alternative regimens have been tested against T. vaginalis in our setting. This study compared the susceptibility patterns of three other 5-nitroiminazoles (secnidazole, tinidazole, and ornidazole), which are active against T. vaginalis with metronidazole in vitro. Metronidazole, the drug of choice for the treatment of trichomoniasis, showed the highest level of resistance, while the three regimens showed very low levels of resistance. These data indicate that all three are viable options as a replacement for metronidazole if these in vitro findings are found to correlate with clinical outcomes.
Keywords: Trichomonas vaginalis; in vitro; metronidazole; nitroimidazoles; susceptibility testing.