Plants represent an important source of diverse biomolecules with unique  properties,  some  of  which  make  them  attractive  candidates  for  the  development  of  novel  antimicrobials.  Plant  extracts  have  been  evaluated  in  vitro  for  their  activity  against  human-infecting gastrointestinal   protozoa,   such   as  Giardia   intestinalis  and Entamoeba  histolytica ,  with some  success.  Some  plant  extracts  are  also  active  against  the  sexually  transmitted  parasite  Trichomonas vaginalis. For the treatment of  infections  with  microaerophilic  protozoa,  such   as   Dientamoeba   fragilis   and   G. intestinalis,   metronidazole   (Flagyl®)  has  been  the  drug  of  choice  for  decades.  However,  it  is  well  established  that  the  widespread  use  of  monotherapeutic  treatment  regimens encourages drug resistance, leading to treatment failures and relapses of illness. Recently, resistance to Flagyl® has been observed in T. vaginalis  and G.  intestinalis,  and  has  been  suggested  in  thebowel parasite; D. fragilis, due to the increasing frequency of treatment failures. With the emergence of drug resistance, there is increasingpressure to identify new drugs. In response to reports of possible Flagyl® resistance in D. fragilis , a simple study was designed to determinewhether  non-prescription  dry  plant  extracts  commercially  availablefrom local health stores exhibit direct anti-Dientamoeba activity.

To conclude, we demonstrate that various  dry  plant  extracts  available from local health stores are ineffective at eradicating cultured D. fragilis, for the first time. This does not confirm that these plants donot  possess  molecules  capable  of  eradicating  D.  fragilis.  Rather, it  is concluded that dry extracts from commercial health product suppliersare ineffective. It is suggested that different types of extracts from theplants used in this study (such as lipid or organic solvent extracts) beevaluated for anti-Dientamoeba activity in future studies.

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