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Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, November 2008, p. 4010-4016, Vol. 52, No. 11
0066-4804/08/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AAC.00197-08
Copyright © 2008, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Effect of Therapeutic Chemical Agents In Vitro and on Experimental Meningoencephalitis Due to Naegleria fowleri{triangledown}

Jong-Hyun Kim,1 Suk-Yul Jung,1 Yang-Jin Lee,1 Kyoung-Ju Song,2 Daeho Kwon,1 Kyongmin Kim,1 Sun Park,1 Kyung-Il Im,2 and Ho-Joon Shin1*

Department of Microbiology, and Department of Molecular Science and Technology, Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon 443-721,1 Department of Environmental Medical Biology, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul 121-752, Republic of Korea2

Received 11 February 2008/ Returned for modification 19 May 2008/ Accepted 20 August 2008

Naegleria fowleri is a ubiquitous, pathogenic free-living amoeba; it is the most virulent Naegleria species and causes primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAME) in laboratory animals and humans. Although amphotericin B is currently the only agent available for the treatment of PAME, it is a very toxic antibiotic and may cause many adverse effects on other organs. In order to find other potentially therapeutic agents for N. fowleri infection, the present study was undertaken to evaluate the in vitro and in vivo efficacies of miltefosine and chlorpromazine against pathogenic N. fowleri. The result showed that the growth of the amoeba was effectively inhibited by treatment with amphotericin B, miltefosine, and chlorpromazine. When N. fowleri trophozoites were treated with amphotericin B, miltefosine, and chlorpromazine, the MICs of the drug were 0.78, 25, and 12.5 µg/ml, respectively, on day 2. In experimental meningoencephalitis of mice that is caused by N. fowleri, the survival rates of mice treated with amphotericin B, miltefosine, and chlorpromazine were 40, 55, and 75%, respectively, during 1 month. The average mean time to death for the amphotericin B, miltefosine, and chlorpromazine treatments was 17.9 days. In this study, the effect of drugs was found to be optimal when 20 mg/kg was administered three times on days 3, 7, and 11. Finally, chlorpromazine had the best therapeutic activity against N. fowleri in vitro and in vivo. Therefore, it may be a more useful therapeutic agent for the treatment of PAME than amphotericin B.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Microbiology, and Molecular Science and Technology, Ajou University School of Medicine, San 5 Woncheon-Dong, Youngtong-Gu, Suwon, Republic of Korea. Phone: 82-31-219-5076. Fax: 82-31-219-5079. E-mail: hjshin{at}ajou.ac.kr

{triangledown} Published ahead of print on 2 September 2008.

Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, November 2008, p. 4010-4016, Vol. 52, No. 11
0066-4804/08/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AAC.00197-08
Copyright © 2008, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.





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