title: Trovafloxacin is active against Toxoplasma gondii.
abstract: Drugs currently used for treatment of toxoplasmosis in pregnant women, congenital infections, immunocompromised patients, and patients with the ocular disease are not always effective or may be dangerous to use; therefore, there is a need for more-effective and less-toxic drugs. Recently, we examined a group of fluoroquinolones for in vitro and in vivo activities against Toxoplasma gondii. Among those examined in vitro (ciprofloxacin, fleroxacin, ofloxacin, temafloxacin, and trovafloxacin), only trovafloxacin significantly inhibited intracellular replication of T. gondii without significant toxicity for host cells. In a murine model of acute toxoplasmosis, 100 or 200 mg of trovafloxacin per kg of body weight per day for 10 days protected 100% of infected mice against death. A dose of 50 mg/kg/day protected 90% of the mice, and a dose of 25 mg/kg/day effected prolongation of time to death. The other fluoroquinolones did not have such in vivo activities. These results indicate that trovafloxacin may be useful for treatment of toxoplasmosis in humans.
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases. Palo Alto Medical Foundation, California 94301, USA.
authors.forename: A A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Khan
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Slifer
authors.forename: F G
authors.initials: FG
authors.lastname: Araujo
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Remington
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000890:Anti-Infective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002460:Cell Line; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004353:Drug Evaluation, Preclinical; D005260:Female; D024841:Fluoroquinolones; D051379:Mice; D009287:Naphthyridines / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014122:Toxoplasma / Q000187:drug effects*; D014124:Toxoplasmosis, Animal / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000469:parasitology
chemical_list: D000890:Anti-Infective Agents; D024841:Fluoroquinolones; D009287:Naphthyridines; C080163:trovafloxacin