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Title: EXAMINATION OF THE ACTIVITIES OF 42 CHEMOTHERAPEUTIC AGENTS AGAINST NEOSPORA CANINUM TACHYZOITES IN CULTURED CELLS

Author
item LINDSAY D S - AUBURN UNIVERSITY
item COLE R A - AUBURN UNIVERSITY
item RIPPEY N S - AUBURN UNIVERSITY
item PARSONS L C - AUBURN UNIVERSITY
item DUBEY JITENDER P - 1265-55-00
item TIDWELL R R - AUBURN UNIVERSITY
item BLAGBURN B L - AUBURN UNIVERSITY

Submitted to: American Journal of Veterinary Research
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/10/1994
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: Neospora caninum is a recently recognized parasite of animals. It can cause abortion and neonatal mortality in livestock and paralysis in dogs. There is no effective drug against neosporosis. Scientists at the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center and the Auburn University developed a method to screen drugs against N. caninum in cell cultures. The monoclonal antibody based immuno-assay they developed was used to screen 42 drugs against cell cultures infected with N. caninum. Several of the drugs had anti-N. caninum activity in cell cultures. These results will be useful to screen drugs for neosporosis in animals.

Technical Abstract: A monoclonal antibody based immunoassay was developed to determine the effects of antimicrobial agents on developing tachyzoites of Neospora caninum in cultured human foreskin fibroblast cells following 2 days of treatment. Additionally, a 5-day of treatment cell culture flask assay was developed to examine agents that may not exert their activities early against developing tachyzoites. Eleven agents were examined in both assays, while 31 agents were examined in the cell culture flask assay only. Seven sulfonamides were examined and greater than 50% reduction were obtained with 100.0 ug/ml with sulfadiazine, sulfamethoxazole, and sulfathiazole. The 1 sulfone, dapsone, examined had little activity at 100.0 ug/ml. Five dihydrofolate reductase/thymidylate synthase inhibitors were examined. Pyrimethamine, piritrexim, trimethoprim and diaveridine were 100% effective at 0.1, 0.001, 10.0, and 10.0 ug/ml, respectively while methotrexate had no activity at 10.0 ug/ml. Three macrolide antibiotics were examined. Azithromycin, clarithromycin, and erythromycin caused > 90% reduction at 0.1 ug/ml. Two tetracycline antibiotics were examined. Doxycycline and minocycline caused > 85% reductions at 0.1 ug/ml. Three lincosamide antibiotics were examined. Clindamycin phosphate, clindamycin hydrochloride and lincomycin hydrochyloride caused > 85% reductions at 0.1 ug/ml.