Metronidazole is a commonly used antibiotic, belonging to the nitroimidazole class of antibiotics. It is frequently used to treat gastrointestinal infections as well as trichomoniasis and giardiasis, and amebiasis which are parasitic infections. Metronidazole has been used as an antibiotic for several decades, with added antiparasitic properties that set it apart from many other antibacterial drugs, allowing it to treat a wide variety of infections. It is available in capsule form, tablet form, and topical form, and suppository preparations for the treatment of various infections.
Metronidazole is indicated for the treatment of confirmed trichomoniasis caused by Trichomonas vaginalis (except for in the first trimester of pregnancy) and the patient's sexual partners, bacterial vaginosis, certain types of amebiasis, and various anaerobic infections. The above anaerobic infections may occur on the skin and skin structures, the abdomen, the heart, reproductive organs, central nervous system, and the respiratory system. Some may also be present in the bloodstream in cases of septicemia. Common infections treated by metronidazole are Bacteroides species infections, Clostridium infections, and Fusobacterium infections, as well as Peptococcus and Peptostreptococcus infections. Topical formulations of metronidazole are indicated for the treatment of inflammatory lesions of rosacea.
It is also used off-label in the treatment of Crohn's disease, as a prophylactic agent after surgery, and in the treatment of Helicobacter pylori infection. It has also been studied in the prevention of preterm births and to treat periodontal disease.
Holtanklinikken, Bø i Telemark, Bø, Telemark, Norway
Statens Serum Institut, Copenhagen, Denmark
Physiology Unit, Hopital Charles Nicolle, 1 rue de Germont, Rouen, France
Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, United States
Wesely Medical Center, Wichita, Kansas, United States
CHOC Children's, Orange, California, United States
Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
Allegheny County Health Department Sexually Transmitted Diseases Clinic, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
UPMC Mercy Hospital, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
Second Hospital of West China Medical School, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
Obstetrics & Gynaecology Hospital of Fudan University, Shanghai, China
Peking University Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen, China
Kirov Regional Clinical Center of Perinatology, Kirov, Kirov oblast, Russian Federation
Kirov State Medical Academy, Kirov, Kirov oblast, Russian Federation
Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, United States
Poitiers University Hospital - 2 rue de la Milétrie - Réanimation chirugicale, Poitiers, France
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