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Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, November 2000, p. 2932-2938, Vol. 44, No. 11
0066-4804/00/$04.00+0
Copyright © 2000, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.

Fluconazole plus Cyclosporine: a Fungicidal Combination Effective against Experimental Endocarditis Due to Candida albicans

O. Marchetti,1 J. M. Entenza,1 D. Sanglard,2 J. Bille,2 M. P. Glauser,1 and P. Moreillon1,*

Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine,1 and Institute of Microbiology,2 Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois, 1011 Lausanne, Switzerland

Received 2 May 2000/Returned for modification 15 June 2000/Accepted 5 August 2000

Recent observations demonstrated that fluconazole plus cyclosporine (Cy) synergistically killed Candida albicans in vitro. This combination was tested in rats with C. albicans experimental endocarditis. The MICs of fluconazole and Cy for the test organism were 0.25 and >10 mg/liter, respectively. Rats were treated for 5 days with either Cy, amphotericin B, fluconazole, or fluconazole-Cy. Although used at high doses, the peak concentrations of fluconazole in the serum of rats (up to 4.5 mg/liter) were compatible with high-dose fluconazole therapy in humans. On the other hand, Cy concentrations in serum (up to 4.5 mg/liter) were greater than recommended therapeutic levels. Untreated rats demonstrated massive pseudohyphal growth in both the vegetations and the kidneys. However, only the kidneys displayed concomitant polymorphonuclear infiltration. The therapeutic results reflected this dissociation. In the vegetations, only the fungicidal fluconazole-Cy combination significantly decreased fungal densities compared to all groups, including amphotericin B (P < 0.0001). In the kidneys, all regimens except the Cy regimen were effective, but fluconazole-Cy remained superior to amphotericin B and fluconazole alone in sterilizing the organs (P < 0.0001). While the mechanism responsible for the fluconazole-Cy interaction is hypothetical, this observation opens new perspectives for fungicidal combinations between azoles and other drugs.


* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois, 1011 Lausanne, Switzerland. Phone: 41-21-314-10-26. Fax: 41-21-314-10-36. E-mail: pmoreill{at}chuv.hospvd.ch.


Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, November 2000, p. 2932-2938, Vol. 44, No. 11
0066-4804/00/$04.00+0
Copyright © 2000, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.



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