title: A comparison of the efficacy of itraconazole, amphotericin B and 5-fluorocytosine in the treatment of Aspergillus fumigatus endocarditis in the rabbit.
abstract: The efficacy of amphotericin B, 5-fluorocytosine and itraconazole was compared for the treatment of experimental rabbit Aspergillus fumigatus endocarditis. Therapy with amphotericin B or 5-fluorocytosine, at dosages of 3.0 and 35 mg/kg body weight respectively, failed to eradicate aspergillus from the cardiac vegetations in all but one of the animals tested; none of these animals survived for longer than nine treatment days. When similar doses of amphotericin and 5-fluorocytosine were administered concomittantly, 30% of the animals had sterile vegetations. Itraconazole at 2.5 and 3.5 mg/kg body weight was not successful; all the animals tested had infected vegetations and did not survive beyond nine days of therapy. In contrast, itraconazole at 5.0 mg/kg sterilised the endocardial vegetations and all these animals survived for 14 days. It is concluded that itraconazole may be useful in the treatment of aspergillus endocarditis.
authors.affiliation: School of Dental Surgery, University of Liverpool, U.K.
authors.forename: L P
authors.initials: LP
authors.lastname: Longman
authors.forename: M V
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Martin
mesh_terms: D000666:Amphotericin B / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000818:Animals; D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001228:Aspergillosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000382:microbiology; D001232:Aspergillus fumigatus / Q000187:drug effects; D004696:Endocarditis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000382:microbiology; D005437:Flucytosine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D017964:Itraconazole; D007654:Ketoconazole / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D011817:Rabbits
chemical_list: D000935:Antifungal Agents; D017964:Itraconazole; D000666:Amphotericin B; D005437:Flucytosine; D007654:Ketoconazole