use of metronidazole, tinidazole and dimetridazole in eliminating trichomonads from laboratory mice

Metronidazole, tinidazole and dimetridazole were administered in the drinking water for 5 days to mice experimentally infected with Tritrichomonas muris and Tetratrichomonas microta. Mice were successfully infected with T. muris and T. microta recovered from infected gerbils. The trichomonas infection was successfully eliminated in mice given a 1% sucrose solution containing 2.5 mg/ml metronidazole or tinidazole. Mice receiving 1.0 mg/ml metronidazole, 1.0 mg/ml tinidazole and 1.2, 5.0 and 10.0 mg/ml dimetridazole failed to eliminate the trichomonas organism. A reduction in water intake was only noted with mice receiving 10 mg/ml dimetridazole. In mice receiving only 1% sucrose the infection was not eliminated.