Browsing by Author "Belford, Robyn Beth"

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    Induction of metronidazole and clindamycin resistance in gardnerella vaginalis
    (University of the Western Cape, 2023) Belford, Robyn Beth; Africa, Charlene
    Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is known to be the most common polymicrobial vaginal disorder in females of childbearing age. It is characterised by a change in the healthy vaginal microbiome, from an environment dominated by hydrogen-producing lactobacilli, to the overgrowth of opportunistic pathogenic bacteria particularly Gardnerella vaginalis. G. vaginalis is a gram-variable pleomorphic bacterium which under normal conditions is considered to exhibit low virulence. G. vaginalis is the most common bacterial species isolated from patients with BV, and isolated in over 98% of BV cases. BV and other infections associated with G. vaginalis are typically treated with metronidazole or clindamycin. There has recently been an increase in recurrent BV infections and treatment failure. Antimicrobial resistance in bacteria has proven to lead to higher rates of adverse health outcomes. Understanding the susceptibility and resistance mechanisms of G. vaginalis is crucial in reducing the number of recurrent infections and treatment failures. Ten commercially acquired G. vaginalis type strains were tested in this study. The Kirby-Bauer and E-Test protocols were performed to determine the antibiotic susceptibility of selected strains and the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of metronidazole and clindamycin respectively.