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Nitazole, a drug from the nitrotiazole group, was shown to be active in vitro against bacteroides, peptococci, peptostreptococci, clostridia, staphylococci, colibacilli and streptococci. By its activity and antibacterial spectrum nitazole had some advantages over metronidazole, a drug from the nitroimidazole group. Experimental study of nitazole aerosole formulation in 4 models of purulent wounds of rabbits infected by Bacteroides fragilis, B. melaninogenicus, Clostridium perfringens 27 and Staphylococcus aureus 209P revealed its high therapeutic efficacy. In the treatment of 37 patients with purulent wounds of the soft tissues including 12 cases isolating anaerobic microbes, the clinical process of the acute suppuration in all the patients at the average reduced to the 5th-7th day. By the data of the bacteriological and cytological examinations the wound surface was ready for putting in stitches or free perforated cutaneous graft by the 10th-12th day. The drug tolerance was good. No adverse reaction were observed under the nitazole dressing in any case during the treatment of the wounds.

The antibacterial activity of protistocide drug nitazole has been revealed for the first time in the 80's at the Laboratory of Clinical Microbiology of the Mechnikov Research Institute of Microbiology and Immunology. Unlike other imidazoles, such as metronidazole and tinidazole, nitazole acts as the inhibitor of growth of gram-positive facultative and obligate anaerobic microorganisms as well as gram-negatives except for Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Proteus. Nitazole, as a main antimicrobial agent of many multicomponent drugs which are created on the hydrophilic basis (matrices), is particularly useful for topical treatment of wounds and burns in the first and second phases of these processes. Drugs which include nitazole possess not only antibacterial and protistocide activity but also act as anti-inflammatory, wound-healing ones and have osmotic property. These drugs are approved by the Ukrainian Ministry of Public Health for wide use in surgical, gynecological, proctological and dermatological clinics as well as in combustology.

In vitro and in vivo antibacterial activity of metronidazole preparations was studied in comparison to that of nitazole in various dosage forms: solution, aerosol, suspension and suppository. The metronidazole preparations inhibited only anaerobic organisms and were efficient in experimental infections caused by them. Unlike the metronidazole preparations, the dosage forms of nitazole inhibited the growth not only of anaerobic organisms but also that of staphylococci and had a therapeutic effect on infections caused by these organisms.

Antibacterial properties of the Soviet drug nitazol which is a derivative of imidazole were studied. It was shown that nitazol in a dose of 4-8 micrograms/ml was highly active against gram-negative nonsporulating anaerobes, gram-positive anaerobic cocci and spore-forming Clostridia spp. Unlike metronidazole, it was efficient against both standard and clinical strains of facultative anaerobes such as E. coli, S. aureus and Klebsiella spp. isolated from patients with peritonitis and being poly-resistant to antibiotics. It was found in vitro that the antibacterial effect of nitazol was higher when it was used in combination with some antibiotics. It was demonstrated on experimental models of peritonitis caused by Staphylococcus spp. and E. coli in mice that nitazol used alone or in combination with gentamicin had a favourable effect on the animal survival and lifespan. The combination of nitazol with gentamicin was applied in the combined treatment of appendicular peritonitis in 80 children and its high therapeutic efficacy was stated. Nitazol is useful as an antibacterial drug in the combined treatment of children with purulent peritonitis.

The experimental-clinical investigations have demonstrated the high effectiveness of the native preparation Nitazole against the Gram-negative non-spore-forming anaerobic bacteria, Gram-positive anaerobic cocci, spore-forming Clostridium, certain facultative anaerobes. This permits to recommend it for the use as an antibacterial preparation for the treatment of peritonitis in children.