Evaluating the Antimicrobial Efficacy of Apple Cider Vinegar on Bacteria and Fungi Isolated from Vaginitis

Abstract

Vaginitis is a prevalent medical illness that affects a substantial proportion of women, mostly attributed to the excessive proliferation of bacteria and fungi. The objective of this study was to assess the antimicrobial effectiveness of Apple Cider Vinegar against bacteria and fungi that were obtained from cases of vaginitis. 50 vaginal swabs were collected from vaginitis patients at private clinics in Kirkuk City, Iraq (10 pregnant women and 40 non-pregnant women). The research included the isolation and identification of bacterial and fungal isolates. All isolates performed the Minimum Inhibitory Concentration and disc diffusion techniques tests. Different concentrations of apple cider vinegar (20%, 30%, 40%, 50% and 100%) were tested against the isolates and Standard antibiotic drugs were used as positive controls. The results of 50 patients were examined, showing that 22 (44%) had bacterial vaginitis and 39 (78%) had fungal vaginitis. Vaginitis was more prevalent in pregnant women compared with non-pregnant. Staphylococcus aureus recorded 14 (24.9%) out of the 54 bacterial isolates, followed by Echerichia coli, Group B- Streptococcus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Staphylococcus epidermidis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa respectively. whereas Candida albicans recorded 30 (61.2%) out of the 49 fungal isolates, followed by Candida tropicalis and Candida parapsilosis, respectively. The findings showed a range of sensitivity to apple cider vinegar among the isolated samples. The efficacy of apple cider vinegar was found to be greater against fungal isolates compared to bacterial isolates, with a higher effectiveness observed against gram-negative bacteria in comparison to gram-positive bacteria. The highest MIC values were found for Gram-positive bacteria, which recorded 125 (µg/mL), followed by Gram-negative bacteria, 62.5 μg/ml. While the lowest MIC values for the isolated fungi were (31.25 μg/ml). A comparison to traditional antimicrobial drugs has highlighted ACV's potential as an alternative treatment for vaginitis. According to these findings, ACV may be an effective treatment choice for vaginitis.