Some observations on the effect of berberine against trichomoniasis in Burmese women

ABSTRACT

Vaginal swabs taken from 401 women with various kinds of discharge were collected in Pavlova's (1) transporting medium and examined for Trichomonas vaginalis microscopically and by 24-hr of cultivation at 37 degree C. 66(16.4 per cent) were positive for T. vaginalis, 52 (13.0 per cent) for Entamoeba histolytica and 18 (4.5 per cent) for both T. vaginalis and E. histolytica. In vitro sensitivity drug testing of berberine chloride were done prior to therapy using metronidazole as control. Metronidazole and berberine chloride were found to be trichomonadocidal at the concentrations of 5 and 50 mcg/ml respactively. Five patients were treated with metronidazole orally, 8 locally with trichomycin vaginal tablets, 17 with berberine chloride orally, 4 by intramuscular emetine hydrochloride injection and 19 by local and systemic treatments. Out of 17 patients, clinical cure was achieved by berberine chloride in 5 patients with negative cultures, and 8 patients with positive cultures.