Susceptibility testing of Atopobium vaginae for dequalinium chloride.

Atopobium vaginae and Gardnerella vaginalis are major markers for bacterial vaginosis. We aimed to determine the MIC and MBC range of the broad-spectrum anti-infective and antiseptic dequalinium chloride for 28 strains, belonging to 4 species of the genus Atopobium, i.e. A. vaginae, A. minutum, A. rimae and A. parvulum. The MIC was determined with a broth microdilution assay. The MIC and MBC for Atopobium spp. for dequalinium chloride ranged between < 0.0625 and 2 μg/ml. This study demonstrated that dequalinium chloride inhibits and kills clinical isolates of A. vaginae at concentrations similar to those of clindamycin and lower than those of metronidazole.