Method for preventing and/or treating trichomonas vaginitis

Abstract

The invention provides a method for treating and/or preventing vaginal infections, such as trichomonas vaginitis, by administering a sugar alcohol-polyol to a subject in need of treatment. Particularly suitable sugar alcohol-polyols are pentitol and hexitol polyols, such as xylitol, arabitol/arabinitol, adonitol, ribitol, glycerol, dulcitol, inositol, mannitol and sorbitol. A composition containing a sugar alcohol-polyol for treating vaginal infections is also disclosed. It has been found that sugar alcohol-polyols are capable of selectively inhibiting the growth of Trichomonas vaginalis, a parasite that causes one of the most common vaginal infections, trichomonas vaginitis, while not inhibiting the growth of Lactobacillus acidophilus, the dominant bacteria in a healthy vaginal ecosystem. Sugar alcohol-polyols are safe and cost-effective, and can be used alone, with other polyols or incorporated into different vaginal health products to treat and/or prevent trichomonas vaginitis.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.