title: Efficacy of voriconazole in a murine model of acute Trypanosoma cruzi infection.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Antifungal triazole derivatives have been studied as possible alternatives for the treatment of Chagas' disease. Voriconazole has demonstrated in vitro activity against Trypanosoma cruzi, but its efficacy in vivo has not yet been tested. We aimed to determine the effect of voriconazole in a murine model of acute T. cruzi infection.
  
  
  METHODS
  Treatment efficacy was evaluated by comparing parasitaemia, mortality and organ involvement (by histological examination) of infected mice.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Treatment with voriconazole significantly lowered parasitaemia and mortality compared with controls, reduced the percentage of mice with amastigote nests in heart and skeletal muscle and moderately decreased myocardial inflammation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings support the potential of voriconazole for the treatment of acute Chagas' disease and motivate future animal studies using varying doses and treatment schemes. Further evaluation of voriconazole for clinical use in human Chagas' patients is warranted.
authors.affiliation: Servicio de Parasitología y Enfermedad de Chagas, Hospital de Niños Dr. Ricardo Gutiérrez, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors.forename: J E N
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Gulin
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Eagleson
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Postan
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Cutrullis
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Freilij
authors.forename: F Garcia
authors.initials: FG
authors.lastname: Bournissen
authors.forename: P B
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: Petray
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Altcheh
mesh_terms: D000825:Animal Structures / Q000469:parasitology; D000818:Animals; D000981:Antiprotozoal Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D014355:Chagas Disease / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality / Q000469:parasitology / Q000473:pathology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D006651:Histocytochemistry; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D018512:Parasitemia / Q000188:drug therapy; D011743:Pyrimidines / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016019:Survival Analysis; D014230:Triazoles / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D014349:Trypanosoma cruzi / Q000187:drug effects*; D065819:Voriconazole
chemical_list: D000981:Antiprotozoal Agents; D011743:Pyrimidines; D014230:Triazoles; D065819:Voriconazole