scholarly journals In Vitro Activity of Manogepix (APX001A) and Comparators against Contemporary Molds: MEC Comparison and Preliminary Experience with Colorimetric MIC Determination

2020 ◽  
Vol 64 (8) ◽  
Author(s):  
Karin Meinike Jørgensen ◽  
Karen M. T. Astvad ◽  
Maiken Cavling Arendrup

ABSTRACT Manogepix (APX001A) is the active moiety of the drug candidate fosmanogepix (APX001), currently in clinical development for the treatment of invasive fungal infections. We compared manogepix EUCAST minimum effective concentrations (MECs) to MICs of five comparators and CLSI MECs and MICs by a colorimetric method against contemporary molds. EUCAST susceptibility testing was performed for 161 isolates. Interlaboratory and intermethod reproducibility were determined by comparison with published manogepix MECs. Colorimetric MICs (measuring metabolic activity) were evaluated using three Aspergillus fumigatus isolates and one Aspergillus flavus isolate with four inocula at 24 to 48 h of incubation and 1 to 3 h 2,3-bis-(2-methoxy-4-nitro-5-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium-5-carboxanilide salt (XTT)/menadione (MEN) exposure. Manogepix modal MECs (range in mg/liter) against Aspergillus species were 0.03 to 0.06 (0.008 to 0.125) and unaffected by itraconazole resistance. Manogepix was as active against two Fusarium isolates but inactive against Trichophyton interdigitale, Lichtheimia ramosa, and Rhizomucor pusillus isolates (MECs >0.5). Modal MEC/MICs were ≥3 2-fold dilutions apart without overlapping ranges comparing manogepix with amphotericin B, isavuconazole, and voriconazole against Aspergillus isolates. Manogepix and posaconazole MECs/MICs correlated for Aspergillus niger (Pearson’s r = 0.711; P = 0.0044). The MEC at which 50% of the isolates tested are inhibited (MEC50), mode, and MEC90 values were within ±1 dilution in all cases compared with published EUCAST and CLSI data. The colorimetric method showed excellent agreement with the MECs when plates were inoculated with the lowest inoculum (1 × 102 CFU/ml to 2.5 × 102 CFU/ml), incubated for 24 h, and exposed for 1 to 3 h to XTT/MEN. Broad-spectrum in vitro activity of manogepix against clinically relevant molds was confirmed with excellent agreement across EUCAST and CLSI methods reported from experienced mycology laboratories. Colorimetric MIC determination warrants further investigation as a potential alternative that is less dependent on mycology expertise.

2018 ◽  
Vol 62 (10) ◽  
Author(s):  
Maiken Cavling Arendrup ◽  
Anuradha Chowdhary ◽  
Karen M. T. Astvad ◽  
Karin Meinike Jørgensen

ABSTRACT APX001A is the active moiety of the first-in-class drug candidate APX001. So far, most susceptibility testing studies have examined ≤30 isolates/species, and only one used the EUCAST method. Here, we investigated the in vitro activity of APX001A and five comparators against 540 candidemia and 122 C. auris isolates. Isolates (17 Candida and 3 yeast species) were identified using CHROMagar, matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization–time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF) and, when needed, internal transcribed space (ITS) sequencing. EUCAST E.Def 7.3.1 susceptibility testing included APX001A, amphotericin B, anidulafungin, micafungin, fluconazole, and voriconazole. Wild-type upper limits (WT-UL) were established following the EUCAST principles for epidemiological cutoff value setting for APX001A, allowing classification as wild type (WT) or non-WT. APX001A MIC50 values (mg/liter) were as follows: Candida albicans, Candida dubliniensis, and Candida tropicalis, 0.004 to 0.008; Candida parapsilosis and Candida auris, 0.016; Candida glabrata, 0.06; and Candida krusei, >0.5. APX001A MICs against the rare species varied from ≤0.0005 (C. pelliculosa) to >0.5 (Candida norvegensis). APX001A was equally or more active in vitro than the comparators against all species except C. krusei and C. norvegensis. Four isolates were APX001A non-WT; all were fluconazole resistant. A correlation was observed between APX001A and fluconazole MICs across all species except Candida guilliermondii and C. auris, and when comparing high and low fluconazole MIC isolates of C. albicans, C. dubliniensis, C. glabrata, C. tropicalis, and C. auris. APX001A showed promising in vitro activity against most Candida and other yeast species, including C. auris, compared to five comparators. WT-UL were suggested for the common species, and a new and unexplained correlation to fluconazole susceptibility was observed.


2011 ◽  
Vol 56 (3) ◽  
pp. 1414-1417 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jien-Wei Liu ◽  
Wen-Chien Ko ◽  
Cheng-Hua Huang ◽  
Chun-Hsing Liao ◽  
Chin-Te Lu ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTThe TigecyclineIn VitroSurveillance in Taiwan (TIST) study, initiated in 2006, is a nationwide surveillance program designed to longitudinally monitor thein vitroactivity of tigecycline against commonly encountered drug-resistant bacteria. This study compared thein vitroactivity of tigecycline against 3,014 isolates of clinically important drug-resistant bacteria using the standard broth microdilution and disk diffusion methods. Species studied included methicillin-resistantStaphylococcus aureus(MRSA;n= 759), vancomycin-resistantEnterococcus faecium(VRE;n= 191), extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producingEscherichia coli(n= 602), ESBL-producingKlebsiella pneumoniae(n= 736), andAcinetobacter baumannii(n= 726) that had been collected from patients treated between 2008 and 2010 at 20 hospitals in Taiwan. MICs and inhibition zone diameters were interpreted according to the currently recommended U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) criteria and the European Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (EUCAST) criteria. The MIC90values of tigecycline against MRSA, VRE, ESBL-producingE. coli, ESBL-producingK. pneumoniae, andA. baumanniiwere 0.5, 0.125, 0.5, 2, and 8 μg/ml, respectively. The total error rates between the two methods using the FDA criteria were high: 38.4% for ESBL-producingK. pneumoniaeand 33.8% forA. baumannii. Using the EUCAST criteria, the total error rate was also high (54.6%) forA. baumanniiisolates. The total error rates between these two methods were <5% for MRSA, VRE, and ESBL-producingE. coli. For routine susceptibility testing of ESBL-producingK. pneumoniaeandA. baumanniiagainst tigecycline, the broth microdilution method should be used because of the poor correlation of results between these two methods.


2017 ◽  
Vol 61 (11) ◽  
Author(s):  
Stanislav Huszár ◽  
Vinayak Singh ◽  
Alica Polčicová ◽  
Peter Baráth ◽  
María Belén Barrio ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT The mycobacterial phosphoglycosyltransferase WecA, which initiates arabinogalactan biosynthesis in Mycobacterium tuberculosis, has been proposed as a target of the caprazamycin derivative CPZEN-45, a preclinical drug candidate for the treatment of tuberculosis. In this report, we describe the functional characterization of mycobacterial WecA and confirm the essentiality of its encoding gene in M. tuberculosis by demonstrating that the transcriptional silencing of wecA is bactericidal in vitro and in macrophages. Silencing wecA also conferred hypersensitivity of M. tuberculosis to the drug tunicamycin, confirming its target selectivity for WecA in whole cells. Simple radiometric assays performed with mycobacterial membranes and commercially available substrates allowed chemical validation of other putative WecA inhibitors and resolved their selectivity toward WecA versus another attractive cell wall target, translocase I, which catalyzes the first membrane step in the biosynthesis of peptidoglycan. These assays and the mutant strain described herein will be useful for identifying potential antitubercular leads by screening chemical libraries for novel WecA inhibitors.


2014 ◽  
Vol 59 (1) ◽  
pp. 356-364 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wesley Wu ◽  
Zachary Herrera ◽  
Danny Ebert ◽  
Katie Baska ◽  
Seok H. Cho ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTThe apicoplast is an essential plastid organelle found inPlasmodiumparasites which contains several clinically validated antimalarial-drug targets. A chemical rescue screen identified MMV-08138 from the “Malaria Box” library of growth-inhibitory antimalarial compounds as having specific activity against the apicoplast. MMV-08138 inhibition of blood-stagePlasmodium falciparumgrowth is stereospecific and potent, with the most active diastereomer demonstrating a 50% effective concentration (EC50) of 110 nM. Whole-genome sequencing of 3 drug-resistant parasite populations from two independent selections revealed E688Q and L244I mutations inP. falciparumIspD, an enzyme in the MEP (methyl-d-erythritol-4-phosphate) isoprenoid precursor biosynthesis pathway in the apicoplast. The active diastereomer of MMV-08138 directly inhibited PfIspD activityin vitrowith a 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) of 7.0 nM. MMV-08138 is the first PfIspD inhibitor to be identified and, together with heterologously expressed PfIspD, provides the foundation for further development of this promising antimalarial drug candidate lead. Furthermore, this report validates the use of the apicoplast chemical rescue screen coupled with target elucidation as a discovery tool to identify specific apicoplast-targeting compounds with new mechanisms of action.


2018 ◽  
Vol 62 (8) ◽  
Author(s):  
Karin Meinike Jørgensen ◽  
Karen M. T. Astvad ◽  
Rasmus Krøger Hare ◽  
Maiken Cavling Arendrup

ABSTRACT Olorofim is a novel antifungal agent with in vitro activity against Aspergillus and some other molds. Here, we addressed technical aspects for EUCAST olorofim testing and generated contemporary MIC data. EUCAST E.Def 9.3.1 testing was performed comparing two plate preparation methods (serial dilution in medium [serial plates] versus predilution in DMSO [ISO plates]), two lots of olorofim, visual (visual-MIC) versus spectrophotometer (spec-MIC) reading, and four polystyrene plates using 34 to 53 Aspergillus isolates from five genera. Subsequently, olorofim MICs were compared to itraconazole, voriconazole, posaconazole, and amphotericin B MICs for 298 clinical mold isolates (2016 to 2017). Wild-type upper limits (WT-UL) were determined following EUCAST principles for epidemiologic cutoff value (ECOFF) setting. Olorofim median MICs comparing serial plates and ISO plates were identical (25/36 [69%]) or one dilution apart (11/36 [31%]). Interperson agreement for visual-MICs was 92% to 94%/100% for ≤1/≤2 dilutions, respectively. The visual-MIC values across tested microtiter plates and olorofim lots revealed only discrete differences (≤1 dilution lower for treated plates). No single spec-MIC criterion was applicable to all species. Olorofim MICs were low against 275 Aspergillus species isolates (modal MIC, 0.06 mg/liter; MIC range, < 0.004 to 0.25 mg/liter) and three dermatophytes (MICs 0.03 to 0.06 mg/liter). MICs against Fusarium were diverse, with full inhibition of F. proliferatum (MIC, 0.016), 50% growth inhibition of Fusarium solani at 1 to 2 mg/liter, and no inhibition of F. dimerum. Olorofim displayed potent in vitro activity against most mold isolates and was associated with limited variation in EUCAST susceptibility testing.


2018 ◽  
Vol 62 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Cristina Lazzarini ◽  
Krupanandan Haranahalli ◽  
Robert Rieger ◽  
Hari Krishna Ananthula ◽  
Pankaj B. Desai ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTThe incidence of invasive fungal infections has risen dramatically in recent decades. Current antifungal drugs are either toxic, likely to interact with other drugs, have a narrow spectrum of activity, or induce fungal resistance. Hence, there is a great need for new antifungals, possibly with novel mechanisms of action. Previously our group reported an acylhydrazone called BHBM that targeted the sphingolipid pathway and showed strong antifungal activity against several fungi. In this study, we screened 19 derivatives of BHBM. Three out of 19 derivatives were highly active againstCryptococcus neoformansin vitroand had low toxicity in mammalian cells. In particular, one of them, called D13, had a high selectivity index and showed better activity in an animal model of cryptococcosis, candidiasis, and pulmonary aspergillosis. D13 also displayed suitable pharmacokinetic properties and was able to pass through the blood-brain barrier. These results suggest that acylhydrazones are promising molecules for the research and development of new antifungal agents.


2019 ◽  
Vol 63 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Tetz ◽  
M. Collins ◽  
D. Vikina ◽  
V. Tetz

ABSTRACT An urgent need exists for new antifungal compounds to treat fungal infections in immunocompromised patients. The aim of the current study was to investigate the potency of a novel antifungal compound, MYC-053, against the emerging yeast and yeast-like pathogens Candida glabrata, Candida auris, Cryptococcus neoformans, and Pneumocystis species. MYC-053 was equally effective against the susceptible control strains, clinical isolates, and resistant strains, with MICs of 0.125 to 4.0 μg/ml. Notably, unlike other antifungals such as azoles, polyenes, and echinocandins, MYC-053 was effective against Pneumocystis isolates, therefore being the only synthetic antifungal that may potentially be used against Pneumocystis spp., Candida spp., and Cryptococcus spp. MYC-053 was highly effective against preformed 48-h-old C. glabrata and C. neoformans biofilms, with minimal biofilm eradication concentrations equal to 1 to 4 times the MIC. Together, these data indicated that MYC-053 may be developed into a promising antifungal agent for the treatment and prevention of invasive fungal infections caused by yeasts and yeast-like fungi.


2019 ◽  
Vol 63 (8) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lysett Wagner ◽  
Sybren de Hoog ◽  
Ana Alastruey-Izquierdo ◽  
Kerstin Voigt ◽  
Oliver Kurzai ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTRecently, the species concept of opportunisticMucor circinelloidesand its relatives has been revised, resulting in the recognition of its classical formae as independent species and the description of new species. In this study, we used isolates of all clinically relevantMucorspecies and performed susceptibility testing using the EUCAST reference method to identify potential species-specific susceptibility patterns.In vitrosusceptibility profiles of 101 mucoralean strains belonging to the genusMucor(72), the closely related speciesCokeromyces recurvatus(3),Rhizopus(12),Lichtheimia(10), andRhizomucor(4) to six antifungals (amphotericin B, natamycin, terbinafine, isavuconazole, itraconazole, and posaconazole) were determined. The most active drug for all Mucorales was amphotericin B. Antifungal susceptibility profiles of pathogenicMucorspecies were specific for isavuconazole, itraconazole, and posaconazole. The species formerly united inM. circinelloidesshowed clear differences in their antifungal susceptibilities.Cokeromyces recurvatus,Mucor ardhlaengiktus,Mucor lusitanicus(M. circinelloidesf.lusitanicus), andMucor ramosissimusexhibited high MICs to all azoles tested.Mucor indicuspresented high MICs for isavuconazole and posaconazole, andMucor amphibiorumandMucor irregularisshowed high MICs for isavuconazole. MIC values ofMucorspp. for posaconazole, isavuconazole, and itraconazole were high compared to those forRhizopusand the Lichtheimiaceae (LichtheimiaandRhizomucor). Molecular identification combined within vitrosusceptibility testing is recommended forMucorspecies, especially if azoles are applied in treatment.


mSphere ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey M. Flynn ◽  
Lydia C. Cameron ◽  
Talia D. Wiggen ◽  
Jordan M. Dunitz ◽  
William R. Harcombe ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT A critical limitation in the management of chronic polymicrobial infections is the lack of correlation between antibiotic susceptibility testing (AST) and patient responses to therapy. Underlying this disconnect is our inability to accurately recapitulate the in vivo environment and complex polymicrobial communities in vitro. However, emerging evidence suggests that, if modeled and tested accurately, interspecies relationships can be exploited by conventional antibiotics predicted to be ineffective by standard AST. As an example, under conditions where Pseudomonas aeruginosa relies on cocolonizing organisms for nutrients (i.e., cross-feeding), multidrug-resistant P. aeruginosa may be indirectly targeted by inhibiting the growth of its metabolic partners. While this has been shown in vitro using synthetic bacterial communities, the efficacy of a “weakest-link” approach to controlling host-associated polymicrobial infections has not yet been demonstrated. To test whether cross-feeding inhibition can be leveraged in clinically relevant contexts, we collected sputa from cystic fibrosis (CF) subjects and used enrichment culturing to isolate both P. aeruginosa and anaerobic bacteria from each sample. Predictably, both subpopulations showed various antibiotic susceptibilities when grown independently. However, when P. aeruginosa was cultured and treated under cooperative conditions in which it was dependent on anaerobic bacteria for nutrients, the growth of both the pathogen and the anaerobe was constrained despite their intrinsic antibiotic resistance profiles. These data demonstrate that the control of complex polymicrobial infections may be achieved by exploiting obligate or facultative interspecies relationships. Toward this end, in vitro susceptibility testing should evolve to more accurately reflect in vivo growth environments and microbial interactions found within them. IMPORTANCE Antibiotic efficacy achieved in vitro correlates poorly with clinical outcomes after treatment of chronic polymicrobial diseases; if a pathogen demonstrates susceptibility to a given antibiotic in the lab, that compound is often ineffective when administered clinically. Conversely, if a pathogen is resistant in vitro, patient treatment with that same compound can elicit a positive response. This discordance suggests that the in vivo growth environment impacts pathogen antibiotic susceptibility. Indeed, here we demonstrate that interspecies relationships among microbiotas in the sputa of cystic fibrosis patients can be targeted to indirectly inhibit the growth of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The therapeutic implication is that control of chronic lung infections may be achieved by exploiting obligate or facultative relationships among airway bacterial community members. This strategy is particularly relevant for pathogens harboring intrinsic multidrug resistance and is broadly applicable to chronic polymicrobial airway, wound, and intra-abdominal infections.


2018 ◽  
Vol 62 (12) ◽  
Author(s):  
K. M. T. Astvad ◽  
D. Sanglard ◽  
E. Delarze ◽  
R. K. Hare ◽  
M. C. Arendrup

ABSTRACTCandida tropicalisisolates often display reduced but persistent growth (trailing) over a broad fluconazole concentration range during EUCAST susceptibility testing. Whereas weak trailing (<25% of the positive growth control) is common and found not to impair fluconazole efficacy, we investigated if more pronounced trailing impacted treatment efficacy. Fluconazole efficacy against two weakly (≤25% growth), two moderately (26% to 50% growth), and one heavily (>70% growth) trailing resistant isolate and one resistant (100% growth) isolate were investigatedin vitroandin vivo(in aGalleria mellonellasurvival model and two nonlethal murine models).CDR1expression levels andERG11sequences were characterized. The survival in fluconazole-treatedG. mellonellawas inversely correlated with the degree of trailing (71% to 9% survival in treatment groups). In mice, resistant and heavily trailing isolates responded poorly to fluconazole treatment.CDR1expression was significantly higher in trailing and resistant isolates than in wild-type isolates (1.4-fold to 10-fold higher). All isolates exhibitedERG11wild-type alleles. Heavily trailing isolates were less responsive to fluconazole in allin vivomodels, indicating an impact on fluconazole efficacy.CDR1upregulation may have contributed to the observed differences. Moderately trailing isolates responded less well to fluconazole in larvae only. This confirms clinical data suggesting fluconazole is effective against infections with such isolates in less severely ill patients and supports the current 50% growth endpoint for susceptibility testing. However, it is still unclear if the gradual loss of efficacy observed for moderately trailing isolates in the larva model may be a reason for concern in selected vulnerable patient populations.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document