title: In vitro activity of antifungal drugs against Plasmodium falciparum field isolates.
abstract: The increasing resistance of the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum to currently available drugs necessitates a continuous effort to develop new antimalarial agents. We therefore aimed to assess the in vitro activity of the antifungal drugs clotrimazole, fluconazole, ketoconazole, itraconazole, voriconazole, flucytosine, amphotericin B, and caspofungin against field isolates of P. falciparum from Lambaréné, Gabon. Using the histidin-rich protein 2 (HRP-2) assay we determined the drug susceptibility (EC(50), EC(90)) of 16 field isolates obtained from outpatients attending the Albert Schweitzer Hospital in Lambaréné, Gabon. For fluconazole, itraconazole and caspofungin the in vitro growth inhibition of these drugs is reported for the first time. Our data indicate that clotrimazole, fluconazole, itraconazole and caspofungin show median EC(50) values of 3.1 µg/mL, 1.9 µg/mL, 1.1 µg/mL and 1.1 µg/mL respectively. Ketoconazole, voriconazole, flucytosine and amphotercin B showed no relevant growth inhibition within the range of drug concentrations used in this study.
authors: Medical Research Unit, Albert Schweitzer Hospital, Lambaréné, Gabon.
authors: Peter
authors: P
authors: Pongratz
authors: Florian
authors: F
authors: Kurth
authors: Ghyslain Mombo
authors: GM
authors: Ngoma
authors: Arti
authors: A
authors: Basra
authors: Michael
authors: M
authors: Ramharter
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D000962:Antimalarials / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D007928:Lethal Dose 50; D010963:Plasmodium falciparum / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development*; D013785:Thailand
chemical_list: D000935:Antifungal Agents; D000962:Antimalarials