rifapentine and Disease-Models--Animal

Buruli ulcer (BU), caused by Mycobacterium ulcerans, is currently treated with a daily combination of rifampin and either injectable streptomycin or oral clarithromycin. An intermittent oral regimen would facilitate treatment supervision. We first evaluated the bactericidal activity of newer antimicrobials against M. ulcerans using a BU animal model. The imidazopyridine amine telacebec (Q203) exhibited high bactericidal activity whereas tedizolid (an oxazolidinone closely related to linezolid), selamectin and ivermectin (two avermectine compounds) and the benzothiazinone PBTZ169 were not active. Consequently, telacebec was evaluated for its bactericidal and sterilizing activities in combined intermittent regimens. Telacebec given twice a week in combination with a long-half-life compound, either rifapentine or bedaquiline, sterilized mouse footpads in 8 weeks, i.e. after a total of only 16 doses, and prevented relapse during a period of 20 weeks after the end of treatment. These results are very promising for future intermittent oral regimens which would greatly simplify BU treatment in the field.

Topics: Animals; Antitubercular Agents; Buruli Ulcer; Diarylquinolines; Disease Models, Animal; Drug Therapy, Combination; Female; Imidazoles; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Mycobacterium ulcerans; Oxazolidinones; Piperidines; Pyridines; Rifampin; Tetrazoles

Owing to patient intolerance or drug interactions, alternative agents to rifampin are needed for management of staphylococcal periprosthetic joint infection. In the current study, we evaluated rifabutin, rifapentine and rifampin, with and without vancomycin, in a rat model of foreign body osteomyelitis.. Proximal tibiae were inoculated with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and a Kirschner wire (K-wire) implanted in each. After 4 weeks of infection, rifampin, rifabutin, or rifapentine were administered, alone or with vancomycin. Tibiae and K-wires were cultured, and medians were reported as log10 colony-forming units (CFUs) per gram of bone or log10 CFUs per K-wire, respectively.. Rifampin, rifabutin or rifapentine administered with vancomycin yielded less MRSA from bones (0.10, 3.02, and 0.10 log10 CFUs/g, respectively) than did no treatment (4.36 log10 CFUs/g) or vancomycin alone (4.64 log10 CFUs/g) (both P ≤ .02). The K-wires of animals receiving no treatment or vancomycin monotherapy recovered medians of 1.76 and 2.91 log10 CFUs/g per K-wire, respectively. In contrast, rifampin, rifabutin and rifapentine administered with vancomycin yielded medians of 0.1 log10 CFUs per K-wire, respectively. Rifampin resistance was detected in a single animal in the rifampin monotherapy group.. Rifabutin or rifapentine with vancomycin were as active as rifampin with vancomycin against MRSA in rat foreign body osteomyelitis, suggesting that rifabutin and/or rifapentine may be alternatives to rifampin in the clinical management of staphylococcal periprosthetic joint infections.

Topics: Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Disease Models, Animal; Drug Therapy, Combination; Foreign Bodies; Male; Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus; Osteomyelitis; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Rifabutin; Rifampin; Staphylococcal Infections; Vancomycin

Clofazimine and high-dose rifapentine have each separately been associated with treatment-shortening activity when incorporated into tuberculosis (TB) treatment regimens. We hypothesized that both modifications, i.e., the addition of clofazimine and the replacement of rifampin with high-dose rifapentine, in the first-line regimen for drug-susceptible TB would significantly shorten the duration of treatment necessary for cure. We tested this hypothesis in a well-established BALB/c mouse model of TB chemotherapy and also in a C3HeB/FeJ mouse model in which mice can develop caseous necrotic lesions, an environment where rifapentine and clofazimine may individually be less effective. In both mouse models, replacing rifampin with high-dose rifapentine and adding clofazimine in the first-line regimen resulted in greater bactericidal and sterilizing activity than either modification alone, suggesting that a rifapentine- and clofazimine-containing regimen may have the potential to significantly shorten the treatment duration for drug-susceptible TB. These data provide preclinical evidence supporting the evaluation of regimens combining high-dose rifapentine and clofazimine in clinical trials.

Topics: Animals; Antibiotics, Antitubercular; Antitubercular Agents; Clofazimine; Disease Models, Animal; Drug Administration Schedule; Drug Therapy, Combination; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Mice, Inbred C3H; Rifampin; Tuberculosis

Topics: Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Bacterial Load; Buruli Ulcer; Clarithromycin; Clofazimine; Disease Models, Animal; Drug Resistance, Bacterial; Drug Therapy, Combination; Electron Transport; Humans; Imidazoles; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Mycobacterium ulcerans; Piperidines; Pyridines; Rifampin; Streptomycin

Filarial parasites can be targeted by antibiotic treatment due to their unique endosymbiotic relationship with Wolbachia bacteria. This finding has led to successful treatment strategies in both, human onchocerciasis and lymphatic filariasis. A 4-6 week treatment course using doxycycline results in long-term sterility and safe macrofilaricidal activity in humans. However, current treatment times and doxycycline contraindications in children and pregnant women preclude widespread administration of doxycycline in public health control programs; therefore, the search for shorter anti-wolbachial regimens is a focus of ongoing research. We have established an in vivo model for compound screening, using mice infected with Litomosoides sigmodontis. We could show that gold standard doxycycline treatment did not only deplete Wolbachia, it also resulted in a larval arrest. In this model, combinations of registered antibiotics were tested for their anti-wolbachial activity. Administration of rifamycins in combination with doxycycline for 7 days successfully depleted Wolbachia by > 2 log (>99% reduction) and thus resulted in a significant reduction of the treatment duration. Using a triple combination of a tetracycline (doxycycline or minocycline), a rifamycin and a fluoroquinolone (moxifloxacin) led to an even greater shortening of the treatment time. Testing all double combinations that could be derived from the triple combinations revealed that the combination of rifapentine (15mg/kg) and moxifloxacin (2 x 200mg/kg) showed the strongest reduction of treatment time in intraperitoneal and also oral administration routes. The rifapentine plus moxifloxacin combination was equivalent to the triple combination with additional doxycycline (>99% Wolbachia reduction). These investigations suggest that it is possible to shorten anti-wolbachial treatment times with combination treatments in order to achieve the target product profile (TPP) requirements for macrofilaricidal drugs of no more than 7-10 days of treatment.

Topics: Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Disease Models, Animal; Drug Therapy, Combination; Filariasis; Filarioidea; Fluoroquinolones; Mice; Moxifloxacin; Rifampin; Tetracyclines; Time Factors; Treatment Outcome; Wolbachia

Preclinical treatment outcome evaluation of tuberculosis (TB) occurs primarily in mice. Current designs compare relapse rates of different regimens at selected time points, but lack information about the correlation between treatment length and treatment outcome, which is required to efficiently estimate a regimens' treatment-shortening potential. Therefore we developed a new approach. BALB/c mice were infected with a Mycobacterium tuberculosis Beijing genotype strain and were treated with rifapentine-pyrazinamide-isoniazid-ethambutol (R

Topics: Administration, Oral; Animals; Antitubercular Agents; Disease Models, Animal; Drug Therapy, Combination; Ethambutol; Female; Genotype; Humans; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Models, Theoretical; Moxifloxacin; Mycobacterium tuberculosis; Pyrazinamide; Rifampin; Treatment Outcome; Tuberculosis

Bone-like hydroxyapatite/poly amino acid (BHA/PAA) is a potential bone repair material. Rifapentine-loaded poly(lactic‑co‑glycolic acid) microspheres (RPMs) are bioactive and efficient controlled‑release delivery systems used in vitro. The aim of the present study was to investigate the in vivo drug release characteristics of RPM‑loaded BHA/PAA on a rabbit model of bone defect. RPM was combined with BHA/PAA to obtain the drug‑loaded, slow‑releasing bioactive material. Bone defects were generated in New Zealand white rabbits and the rabbits were then implanted with RPM‑loaded BHA/PAA. High‑performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used to determine the concentrations of rifapentine in the plasma and the local muscle tissues of the treated rabbits. Hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining and biochemical analyses were performed to elucidate potential side effects of RPM‑loaded BHA/PAA on the heart, liver and kidney histopathology and functions of the treated rabbits. The biocompatibility and osteogenic ability of RPM‑loaded BHA/PAA was evaluated by H&E staining. The results demonstrated that the material was completely degraded and absorbed at 12 weeks following implantation and new trabecular bone and cartilage tissues had formed. The in vivo release tests revealed that RPM‑loaded BHA/PAA exhibited sustained release profiles of rifapentine and the drug concentration in the muscle tissues remained higher than the minimum inhibitory concentration of rifapentine against Mycobacterium tuberculosis for as long as 12 weeks. In addition, RPM‑loaded BHA/PAA had no long‑term side effects to the heart, liver and kidney of the treated rabbits. In conclusion, the present study demonstrated that RPM‑loaded BHA/PAA slowly and continuously released rifapentine in vivo and exhibited no side effects on heart, liver and kidney tissues and function. Furthermore, RPM‑loaded BHA/PAA promoted new bone formation, while it was gradually degraded and absorbed. The present study provided a theoretical basis for the potential advancement in developing novel treatments for osteoarticular tuberculosis.

Topics: Alanine Transaminase; Amino Acids; Animals; Aspartate Aminotransferases; Blood Urea Nitrogen; Bone and Bones; Creatinine; Disease Models, Animal; Durapatite; Male; Microspheres; Organ Specificity; Rabbits; Rifampin

During active TB in humans a spectrum of pulmonary granulomas with central necrosis and hypoxia exists. BALB/c mice, predominantly used in TB drug development, do not reproduce this complex pathology thereby inaccurately predicting clinical outcome. We found that Nos2

Topics: Animals; Antitubercular Agents; Disease Models, Animal; Fibrosis; Foam Cells; Humans; Hypoxia; Isoniazid; Mice; Mice, Knockout; Necrosis; Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II; Rifampin; Treatment Outcome; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary

Since 2004, treatment of Mycobacterium ulcerans disease, or Buruli ulcer, has shifted from surgery to daily treatment with streptomycin (STR) + rifampin (RIF) for 8 weeks. For shortening treatment duration, we tested the potential of daily rifapentine (RPT), a long-acting rifamycin derivative, as a substitute for RIF.. BALB/c mice were infected with M. ulcerans in the right hind footpad and treated either daily (7/7) with STR+RIF or five days/week (5/7) with STR+RIF or STR+RPT for 4 weeks, beginning 28 days after infection when CFU counts were 4.88±0.51. The relative efficacy of the drug treatments was compared by footpad CFU counts during treatment and median time to footpad swelling after treatment cessation as measure of sterilizing activity. All drug treatments were bactericidal. After 1 week of treatment, the decline in CFU counts was significantly greater in treated mice but not different between the three treated groups. After 2 weeks of treatment, the decline in CFU was greater in mice treated with STR+RPT 5/7 than in mice treated with STR+RIF 7/7 and STR+RIF 5/7. After 3 and 4 weeks of treatment, CFU counts were nil in mice treated with STR+RPT and reduced by more than 3 and 4 logs in mice treated with STR+RIF 5/7 and STR+RIF 7/7, respectively. In sharp contrast to the bactericidal activity, the sterilizing activity was not different between all drug regimens although it was in proportion to the treatment duration.. The better bactericidal activity of daily STR+RIF and especially of STR+RPT did not translate into better prevention of relapse, possibly because relapse-freecure after treatment of Buruli ulcer is more related to the reversal of mycolactone-induced local immunodeficiency by drug treatment rather than to the bactericidal potency of drugs.

Topics: Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Bacterial Load; Buruli Ulcer; Colony Count, Microbial; Disease Models, Animal; Drug Therapy, Combination; Female; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Microbial Viability; Mycobacterium ulcerans; Rifampin; Secondary Prevention; Streptomycin; Treatment Outcome

In previous experiments, replacing the 10-mg/kg of body weight daily dose of rifampin with 7.5 to 10 mg/kg of rifapentine in combinations containing isoniazid and pyrazinamide reduced the duration of treatment needed to cure tuberculosis in BALB/c mice by approximately 50% due to rifapentine's more potent activity and greater drug exposures obtained. In the present study, we performed dose-ranging comparisons of the bactericidal and sterilizing activities of rifampin and rifapentine, alone and in combination with isoniazid and pyrazinamide with or without ethambutol, in BALB/c mice and in C3HeB/FeJ mice, which develop necrotic lung granulomas after infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Each rifamycin demonstrated a significant increase in sterilizing activity with increasing dose. Rifapentine was roughly 4 times more potent in both mouse strains. These results reinforce the rationale for ongoing clinical trials to ascertain the highest well-tolerated doses of rifampin and rifapentine. This study also provides an important benchmark for the efficacy of the first-line regimen in C3HeB/FeJ mice, a strain in which the lung lesions observed after M. tuberculosis infection may better represent the pathology of human tuberculosis.

Topics: Animals; Antibiotics, Antitubercular; Antitubercular Agents; Disease Models, Animal; Drug Administration Schedule; Drug Therapy, Combination; Ethambutol; Isoniazid; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Mice, Inbred C3H; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Mycobacterium tuberculosis; Pyrazinamide; Random Allocation; Rifampin; Treatment Outcome; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary

Mycobacterium tuberculosis 18b, a streptomycin (STR)-dependent mutant that enters a viable but nonreplicating state in the absence of STR, has been developed as a simple model for drug testing against dormant bacilli. Here, we further evaluated the STR-starved 18b (SS18b) model both in vitro and in vivo by comparing the behavior of 22 approved and experimental tuberculosis drugs. Using the resazurin reduction microplate assay (REMA), rifampin (RIF), rifapentine (RPT), TMC207, clofazimine (CFM), and linezolid (LIN) were found to be active against SS18b in vitro, and their bactericidal activity was confirmed by determining the number of CFU. A latent 18b infection was established in mice, and some of the above-mentioned drugs were used for treatment, either alone or in combination with RIF. RIF, RPT, TMC207, CFM, and pyrazinamide (PZA) were all active in vivo, while cell wall inhibitors were not. A comparative kinetic study of rifamycin efficacy was then undertaken, and the results indicated that RPT clears latent 18b infection in mice faster than RIF. Intrigued by the opposing responses of live and dormant 18b cells to cell wall inhibitors, we conducted a systematic analysis of 14 such inhibitors using REMA. This uncovered an SS18b signature (CWPRED) that accurately predicted the activities of cell wall inhibitors and performed well in a blind study. CWPRED will be useful for establishing the mode of action of compounds with unknown targets, while the SS18b system should facilitate the discovery of drugs for treating latent tuberculosis.

Topics: Acetamides; Amino Acid Sequence; Animals; Antitubercular Agents; Clofazimine; Diarylquinolines; Disease Models, Animal; Drug Discovery; Drugs, Investigational; Female; Genetic Engineering; Latent Tuberculosis; Linezolid; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Molecular Sequence Data; Mycobacterium tuberculosis; Oxazines; Oxazolidinones; Quinolines; Rifampin; Streptomycin; Structure-Activity Relationship; Xanthenes

treatment of Mycobacterium ulcerans disease, or Buruli ulcer (BU), has shifted from surgery to treatment with streptomycin(STR)+rifampin(RIF) since 2004 based on studies in a mouse model and clinical trials. We tested two entirely oral regimens for BU treatment, rifampin(RIF)+clarithromycin(CLR) and rifapentine(RPT)+clarithromycin(CLR) in the mouse model.. BALB/c mice were infected in the right hind footpad with M. ulcerans strain 1059 and treated daily (5 days/week) for 4 weeks, beginning 11 days after infection. Treatment groups included an untreated control, STR+RIF as a positive control, and test regimens of RIF, RPT, STR and CLR given alone and the RIF+CLR and RPT+CLR combinations. The relative efficacy of the drug treatments was compared on the basis of footpad CFU counts and median time to footpad swelling. Except for CLR, which was bacteriostatic, treatment with all other drugs reduced CFU counts by approximately 2 or 3 log(10). Median time to footpad swelling after infection was 5.5, 16, 17, 23.5 and 36.5 weeks in mice receiving no treatment, CLR alone, RIF+CLR, RIF alone, and STR alone, respectively. At the end of follow-up, 39 weeks after infection, only 48%, 26.4% and 16.3% of mice treated with RPT+CLR, RPT alone and STR+RIF had developed swollen footpads. An in vitro checkerboard assay showed the interaction of CLR and RIF to be indifferent. However, in mice, co-administration with CLR resulted in a roughly 25% decrease in the maximal serum concentration (Cmax) and area under the serum concentration-time curve (AUC) of each rifamycin. Delaying the administration of CLR by one hour restored Cmax and AUC values of RIF to levels obtained with RIF alone.. these results suggest that an entirely oral daily regimen of RPT+CLR may be at least as effective as the currently recommended combination of injected STR+oral RIF.

Topics: Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Buruli Ulcer; Clarithromycin; Disease Models, Animal; Drug Therapy, Combination; Female; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Mycobacterium ulcerans; Rifampin; Treatment Outcome

Daily rifapentine plus isoniazid-pyrazinamide in mice infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis produces cure in 3 months. Whether cure corresponds to latent infection contained by host immunity or true tissue sterilization is unknown.. To determine the length of treatment with rifapentine-isoniazid-pyrazinamide or rifampin-isoniazid-pyrazinamide needed to prevent relapse in immune-deficient mice.. Aerosol-infected BALB/c and nude mice were treated 5 days per week with either 2 months of the rifapentine-based regimen followed by rifapentine-isoniazid up to 12 months or the same regimen with rifampin instead of rifapentine. Cultures of lung homogenates were performed during the first 3 months and then every 3 months. Relapse rates were assessed after 3, 6, 9, and 12 months of treatment in BALB/c (± 1 mo of cortisone) and nude mice.. All rifapentine-treated mice were lung culture-negative at 3 months but 13% of BALB/c that received cortisone and 73% of nude mice relapsed. After 6, 9, and 12 months of treatment no mouse relapsed. Rifampin-treated BALB/c mice remained culture positive at 3 months. All were culture negative at 6, 9, and 12 months. None, including those receiving cortisone, relapsed. Rifampin-treated nude mice harbored more than 4 log(10) lung cfu at Month 2 and approximately 6 log(10) cfu with isoniazid resistance at Month 3. A supplementary experiment demonstrated that 7 days a week treatment did not prevent isoniazid resistance, whereas addition of ethambutol did.. In nude mice, sterilization of tuberculosis is obtained with rifapentine-containing treatment, whereas failure with development of isoniazid resistance is obtained with rifampin-containing treatment.

Topics: Animals; Anti-Inflammatory Agents; Antibiotics, Antitubercular; Antitubercular Agents; Cortisone; Disease Models, Animal; Drug Administration Schedule; Drug Resistance, Bacterial; Drug Therapy, Combination; Female; Isoniazid; Lung; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Mice, Nude; Mycobacterium tuberculosis; Pyrazinamide; Rifampin; Secondary Prevention; Time Factors; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary

Multidrug-resistant and extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR/XDR-TB) is an emerging global health threat. Proper management of close contacts of infectious patients is increasingly important. However, no evidence-based recommendations for treating latent TB infection (LTBI) after MDR/XDR-TB exposure (DR-LTBI) exist. An ultrashort regimen for LTBI caused by drug-susceptible strains (DS-LTBI) is also desirable. TMC207 has bactericidal and sterilizing activity in animal models of TB and improves the activity of current MDR-TB therapy in patients.. The objective of this study was to determine whether TMC207 might enable short-course treatment of DR-LTBI and ultrashort treatment of DS-LTBI.. Using an established experimental model of LTBI chemotherapy in which mice are aerosol-immunized with a recombinant bacillus Calmette-Guérin vaccine before low-dose aerosol infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the efficacy of TMC207 alone and in combination with rifapentine was compared with currently recommended control regimens as well as once-weekly rifapentine + isoniazid and daily rifapentine ± isoniazid.. Outcomes included monthly lung colony-forming unit counts and relapse rates.. Lung colony-forming unit counts were stable at about 3.75 log(10) for up to 7.5 months postinfection in untreated mice. Rifamycin-containing regimens were superior to isoniazid monotherapy. TMC207 exhibited sterilizing activity at least as strong as that of rifampin alone and similar to that of rifampin + isoniazid, but daily rifapentine +/- isoniazid was superior to TMC207. Addition of TMC207 to rifapentine did not improve the sterilizing activity of rifapentine in this model.. TMC207 has substantial sterilizing activity and may enable treatment of DR-LTBI in 3-4 months.

Topics: Animals; Antibiotics, Antitubercular; Antitubercular Agents; Diarylquinolines; Disease Models, Animal; Drug Administration Schedule; Drug Therapy, Combination; Extensively Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis; Female; Latent Tuberculosis; Lung; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Mycobacterium tuberculosis; Quinolines; Rifampin; Stem Cells; Treatment Outcome

TMC207, rifapentine, and moxifloxacin are in clinical testing for the treatment of tuberculosis. Five experimental regimens with various combinations of TMC207, rifapentine, moxifloxacin, and pyrazinamide were tested for their bactericidal and sterilizing potencies in Swiss mice intravenously inoculated with Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacilli. TMC207 had the strongest bactericidal efficacy, while rifapentine was the strongest contributor to sterilizing efficacy. The rank order of sterilizing potencies was different from the rank order of bactericidal potencies, underlining the importance of prioritizing new regimens designed to shorten the treatment duration by their sterilizing potencies rather than by their bactericidal potencies. Both 3 months of treatment with a regimen combining TMC207, pyrazinamide, and rifapentine and 5 months of treatment with a regimen combining TMC207, pyrazinamide, and moxifloxacin resulted in relapse rates similar to the rate obtained by 6 months of treatment with rifampin-isoniazid-pyrazinamide.

Topics: Animals; Antibiotics, Antitubercular; Aza Compounds; Diarylquinolines; Disease Models, Animal; Female; Fluoroquinolones; Mice; Moxifloxacin; Mycobacterium tuberculosis; Pyrazinamide; Quinolines; Rifampin; Tuberculosis

R207910 (TMC207 or J) is a member of the diarylquinolines, a new family of antituberculous drugs with high bactericidal activity when given daily in the murine model of tuberculosis. R207910 exhibits a long half-life and thus is a good candidate for once-weekly therapy of tuberculosis.. To study the activity of once-weekly R207910 monotherapy and combinations of R207910 with other antituberculous agents (isoniazid, rifapentine, moxifloxacin, and pyrazinamide).. The established infection model of murine tuberculosis was used. Colony counts were determined in the lungs.. Eight weeks of monotherapy reduced the bacillary load by 3 to 4 log(10) for rifapentine and by 5 to 6 log(10) for R207910 (P < 0.05). The addition of rifapentine and isoniazid or moxifloxacin did not improve the bactericidal activity of R207910 monotherapy. In contrast, the triple combination of R207910 plus rifapentine plus pyrazinamide given once weekly for 2 months (i.e., a total of only eight administrations), was significantly (P < 0.05) more active than R207910 monotherapy or other R207910 combinations, and led to lung culture negativity in 9 of 10 mice, whereas all lungs were culture positive in the groups treated with other drug combinations. Moreover, R207910 plus rifapentine plus pyrazinamide given once weekly was more active than the current standard regimen of rifampin plus isoniazid plus pyrazinamide given five times per week.. The unprecedented activity of the triple combination of R207910 plus rifapentine plus pyrazinamide suggests that it may be feasible to develop a fully intermittent once-weekly regimen.

Topics: Animals; Antibiotics, Antitubercular; Antitubercular Agents; Colony Count, Microbial; Diarylquinolines; Disease Models, Animal; Drug Therapy, Combination; Female; Lung; Mice; Pyrazinamide; Quinolines; Rifampin; Tuberculosis

Regimens recommended to treat latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) are 3 to 9 months long. A 2-month rifampin+pyrazinamide regimen is no longer recommended. Shorter regimens are highly desirable. Because substituting rifapentine for rifampin in the standard regimen for active tuberculosis halves the treatment duration needed to prevent relapse in mice, we hypothesized daily rifapentine-based regimens could shorten LTBI treatment to 2 months or less.. To improve an existing model of LTBI chemotherapy and evaluate the efficacy of daily rifapentine-based regimens.. Mice were immunized with a more immunogenic recombinant Bacille Calmette-Guérin strain (rBCG30) and received very low-dose aerosol infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis to establish a stable lung bacterial burden below 10(4) CFU without drug treatment. Mice received a control (isoniazid alone, rifampin alone, rifampin+isoniazid, rifampin+pyrazinamide) or test (rifapentine alone, rifapentine+isoniazid, rifapentine+pyrazinamide, rifapentine+isoniazid+pyrazinamide) regimen for 8 weeks. Rifamycin doses were 10 mg/kg/d, analogous to the same human doses. Outcomes were biweekly lung CFU counts and relapse after 4 to 8 weeks of treatment.. M. tuberculosis CFU counts remained stable around 3.65 log(10) in immunized, untreated mice. Isoniazid or rifampin left all or most mice culture-positive at week 8. Rifampin+isoniazid cured 0 and 53% of mice and rifampin+pyrazinamide cured 47 and 100% of mice in 4 and 8 weeks, respectively. Rifapentine-based regimens were more active than rifampin+isoniazid and indistinguishable from rifampin+pyrazinamide.. In this improved murine model of LTBI chemotherapy with very low lung burden, existing regimens were well represented. Daily rifapentine-based regimens were at least as active as rifampin+pyrazinamide, suggesting they could effectively treat LTBI in 6 to 8 weeks.

Topics: Animals; Antibiotics, Antitubercular; Disease Models, Animal; Drug Administration Schedule; Female; Lung; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Mycobacterium tuberculosis; Rifampin; Treatment Outcome; Tuberculosis

Recent studies have demonstrated that combined substitutions of rifapentine for rifampin and moxifloxacin for isoniazid in the standard, daily, short-course regimen of rifampin, isoniazid, and pyrazinamide produces stable cure in 12 weeks or less. This study was designed to more precisely evaluate the contribution of moxifloxacin and isoniazid to rifapentine-based regimens.. We compared bactericidal activity and treatment-shortening potential between regimens consisting of isoniazid or moxifloxacin plus rifapentine and pyrazinamide administered either thrice-weekly or daily.. Using a mouse model of tuberculosis, we assessed bactericidal activity by performing quantitative cultures of lung homogenates over the first 12 weeks of treatment. Relapse rates were assessed after completing 8, 10, and 12 weeks of treatment to determine the duration of treatment necessary for stable cure.. After 4 weeks of treatment, daily and thrice-weekly therapy with rifapentine, moxifloxacin, and pyrazinamide was significantly more active than treatment with rifapentine, isoniazid, and pyrazinamide. By 8 weeks of treatment, all mice receiving the moxifloxacin-containing regimens were lung culture negative, whereas those mice receiving the isoniazid-containing regimens continued to be lung culture positive. However, the duration of treatment necessary to achieve stable cure was 10 weeks for daily regimens and 12 weeks for thrice-weekly regimens, regardless of whether isoniazid or moxifloxacin was used. All mice receiving standard daily therapy with rifampin, isoniazid, and pyrazinamide relapsed after 12 weeks of treatment.. These results suggest that regimens consisting of isoniazid or moxifloxacin plus rifapentine and pyrazinamide may dramatically shorten the duration of treatment needed to cure human tuberculosis.

Topics: Animals; Antibiotics, Antitubercular; Antitubercular Agents; Aza Compounds; Disease Models, Animal; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Drug Administration Schedule; Female; Fluoroquinolones; Isoniazid; Lung; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Moxifloxacin; Pyrazinamide; Quinolines; Recurrence; Rifampin; Time Factors; Treatment Outcome; Tuberculosis

Topics: Animals; Antibiotics, Antitubercular; Disease Models, Animal; Drug Approval; Drug Evaluation, Preclinical; Drug Therapy, Combination; Humans; Mice; Rifampin; Tuberculosis; United States; United States Food and Drug Administration

Availability of an ultra-short-course drug regimen capable of curing patients with tuberculosis in 2 to 3 mo would significantly improve global control efforts. Because immediate prospects for novel treatment-shortening drugs remain uncertain, we examined whether better use of existing drugs could shorten the duration of treatment. Rifapentine is a long-lived rifamycin derivative currently recommended only in once-weekly continuation-phase regimens. Moxifloxacin is an 8-methoxyfluoroquinolone currently used in second-line regimens.. Using a well-established mouse model with a high bacterial burden and human-equivalent drug dosing, we compared the efficacy of rifapentine- and moxifloxacin-containing regimens with that of the standard daily short-course regimen based on rifampin, isoniazid, and pyrazinamide. Bactericidal activity was assessed by lung colony-forming unit counts, and sterilizing activity was assessed by the proportion of mice with culture-positive relapse after 2, 3, 4, and 6 mo of treatment. Here, we demonstrate that replacing rifampin with rifapentine and isoniazid with moxifloxacin dramatically increased the activity of the standard daily regimen. After just 2 mo of treatment, mice receiving rifapentine- and moxifloxacin-containing regimens were found to have negative lung cultures, while those given the standard regimen still harbored 3.17 log10 colony-forming units in the lungs (p < 0.01). No relapse was observed after just 3 mo of treatment with daily and thrice-weekly administered rifapentine- and moxifloxacin-containing regimens, whereas the standard daily regimen required 6 mo to prevent relapse in all mice.. Rifapentine should no longer be viewed solely as a rifamycin for once-weekly administration. Our results suggest that treatment regimens based on daily and thrice-weekly administration of rifapentine and moxifloxacin may permit shortening the current 6 mo duration of treatment to 3 mo or less. Such regimens warrant urgent clinical investigation.

Topics: Animals; Antibiotics, Antitubercular; Antitubercular Agents; Aza Compounds; Colony Count, Microbial; Disease Models, Animal; Drug Administration Schedule; Drug Therapy, Combination; Fluoroquinolones; Isoniazid; Lung; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Moxifloxacin; Mycobacterium tuberculosis; Pyrazinamide; Quinolines; Rifampin; Secondary Prevention; Time Factors; Tuberculosis

Treatment of tuberculosis with an efficacious once-weekly regimen would be a significant achievement in improving patient adherence. Currently, the only recommended once-weekly continuation phase regimen of isoniazid plus rifapentine (10 mg/kg) is inferior to standard twice-weekly therapy with isoniazid plus rifampin and is, therefore, restricted to non-high-risk patients. The substitution of moxifloxacin, a new 8-methoxyfluoroquinolone, for isoniazid and an increase in the dose of rifapentine could augment the activity of once-weekly regimens.. To test this hypothesis we evaluated the sterilizing activity of improved once-weekly rifapentine-based continuation phase regimens in a murine model that mimics the treatment of high-risk patients with tuberculosis. The bactericidal activity of standard daily therapy and standard intermittent therapy ("Denver" regimen) was also assessed to evaluate the effect of intermittent drug administration during the initial phase of therapy.. After 2 mo of treatment, lung colony-forming unit counts were 1 log(10) lower in mice treated with standard daily therapy than with the Denver regimen. During the continuation phase, the sterilizing activity of once-weekly moxifloxacin plus rifapentine (15 mg/kg) was significantly greater than that of the predominantly twice-weekly Denver regimen of isoniazid plus rifampin. No significant difference in sterilizing activity was detected between once-weekly isoniazid plus rifapentine (15 mg/kg) and the Denver regimen.. These results suggest that the efficacy of the once-weekly isoniazid plus rifapentine continuation phase regimen can be increased by substituting moxifloxacin for isoniazid and by increasing the dose of rifapentine to a clinically acceptable level of 15 mg/kg.

Topics: Animals; Antibiotics, Antitubercular; Aza Compounds; Colony Count, Microbial; Disease Models, Animal; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Drug Administration Schedule; Drug Therapy, Combination; Female; Fluoroquinolones; Follow-Up Studies; Lung; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Moxifloxacin; Mycobacterium tuberculosis; Quinolines; Rifampin; Treatment Outcome; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary

Priorities for developing improved regimens for treatment of latent tuberculosis (TB) infection include (1) developing shorter and/or more intermittently administered regimens that are easier to supervise and (2) developing and evaluating regimens that are active against multidrug-resistant organisms.. By using a previously validated murine model that involves immunizing mice with Mycobacterium bovis bacillus Calmette-Guérin to augment host immunity before infection with virulent Mycobacterium tuberculosis, we evaluated new treatment regimens including rifapentine and moxifloxacin, and assessed the potential of the Mycobacterium leprae heat shock protein-65 DNA vaccine to augment the activity of moxifloxacin.. Quantitative spleen colony-forming unit counts, and the proportion of mice with culture-positive relapse after treatment, were determined.. Three-month, once-weekly regimens of rifapentine combined with either isoniazid or moxifloxacin were as active as daily isoniazid for 6-9 mo. Six-month daily combinations of moxifloxacin with pyrazinamide, ethionamide, or ethambutol were more active than pyrazinamide plus ethambutol, a regimen recommended for latent TB infection after exposure to multidrug-resistant TB. The combination of moxifloxacin with the experimental nitroimidazopyran PA-824 was especially active. Finally, the heat shock protein-65 DNA vaccine had no effect on colony-forming unit counts when given alone, but augmented the bactericidal activity of moxifloxacin.. Together, these findings suggest that rifapentine, moxifloxacin, and, perhaps, therapeutic DNA vaccination have the potential to improve on the current treatment of latent TB infection.

Topics: Animals; Antibiotics, Antitubercular; Aza Compounds; Colony Count, Microbial; Disease Models, Animal; Drug Therapy, Combination; Female; Fluoroquinolones; Follow-Up Studies; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Moxifloxacin; Mycobacterium tuberculosis; Quinolines; Rifampin; Spleen; Treatment Outcome; Tuberculosis; Vaccines, DNA

To further the development of a multidrug regimen for treatment of leprosy that is suitable for monthly administration and fully supervisable, the bactericidal activities against Mycobacterium leprae of HMR 3647 (HMR), moxifloxacin (MXFX) and rifapentine (RPT) were measured by the proportional bactericide technique in the mouse footpad system, and compared with those of the established antileprosy drugs clarithromycin (CLARI), ofloxacin (OFLO) and rifampicin (RMP). Administered in five daily doses of 100 mg per kg body weight, HMR appeared slightly more bactericidal than CLARI, but the difference did not attain statistical significance. Administered as single doses, MXFX in a dosage of 150 mg per kg was more active than OFLO in the same dosage, and displayed the same level of activity as RMP in a dosage of 10 mg per kg; the combination MXFX-minocycline (MINO) (MM) was more bactericidal than the combination OFLO-MINO (OM); RPT in a dosage of 10 mg per kg was more bactericidal than RMP administered in the same dosage, and even more active than the combination RMP-OFLO-MINO (ROM); the combination RPT-MXFX-MINO (PMM) killed 99.9% of viable M. leprae, and was slightly more bactericidal than was RPT alone, indicating that the combination PMM showed an additive effect against M. leprae. These promising results justify a clinical trial among lepromatous patients, in which MM is being compared with OM, and PMM with ROM, in terms of efficacy and tolerance.

Topics: Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Anti-Infective Agents; Aza Compounds; Disease Models, Animal; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Drug Therapy, Combination; Female; Fluoroquinolones; Leprostatic Agents; Leprosy; Mice; Mice, Inbred Strains; Minocycline; Moxifloxacin; Probability; Quinolines; Rifampin; Treatment Outcome

Rifapentine is a long-acting rifamycin which may be useful for intermittent drug therapy against tuberculosis. In this study we measured the efficacies of rifapentine-containing intermittent drug regimens for preventive therapy using the Cornell mouse model of latent tuberculosis. We infected groups of mice intravenously with Mycobacterium tuberculosis and then treated them with isoniazid and pyrazinamide for 12 weeks according to the Cornell latency development protocol. After a 4-week interval of no treatment, experimental preventive therapy was administered by esophageal gavage for 12 or 18 weeks. After equilibration and dexamethasone amplification treatment, mouse organs were analyzed by quantitative colony counts to measure the effectiveness of therapy. Our results showed that once-weekly isoniazid plus rifapentine combination therapy for 18 weeks was an effective preventive regimen with sterilizing potency and bacillary load reduction comparable to those of daily isoniazid therapy for 18 weeks. Monotherapy with rifapentine weekly or fortnightly or with rifampin twice weekly for up to 18 weeks did not offer advantages in reducing bacillary load or in sterilizing organs compared to the effects of a placebo. These results with the Cornell mouse model indicate that once-weekly, short-course preventive therapy with isoniazid plus rifapentine is effective and may warrant investigation in humans with latent tuberculosis infection.

Topics: Animals; Antibiotics, Antitubercular; Antitubercular Agents; Colony Count, Microbial; Disease Models, Animal; Drug Therapy, Combination; Female; Isoniazid; Mice; Mycobacterium tuberculosis; Rifampin; Stem Cells; Tuberculosis

Besides direct bactericidal activity, long-term effectiveness is one of the most important features to consider when developing new drugs for chemotherapy. In this study, we evaluated the ability of rifapentine (RFP), in monotherapy and combination therapy, to completely eradicate a Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection and to prevent relapse posttreatment in a Swiss mouse model. The combination of RFP, isoniazid (INH), and pyrazinamide (PZA) administered daily resulted in an apparent clearance of M. tuberculosis organisms in the lungs and spleens of infected mice after 10 weeks of treatment. However, 3 months after the cessation of therapy, bacterial regrowth occurred in mice treated for a 12-week period, indicating a relapse of infection. In intermittent treatment regimens of RFP in combination with INH and PZA, sterilization was achieved when mice were treated two to five times per week for 9 weeks. Bacterial growth was still observed in the once-weekly treatment group. Our results show that mouse models can predict important parameters for new drugs. We stress the necessity for long-term posttreatment observation in animal models for the routine evaluation of new drugs for antituberculosis chemotherapy.

Topics: Animals; Antibiotics, Antitubercular; Antitubercular Agents; Disease Models, Animal; Drug Therapy, Combination; Evaluation Studies as Topic; Female; Isoniazid; Mice; Mycobacterium tuberculosis; Pyrazinamide; Rifampin; Rifamycins; Tuberculosis

The dose-response activity of rifabutin and the comparative activities of rifabutin and rifapentine were evaluated in the beige mouse model of disseminated Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) infection. In the dose-response study, mice were infected intravenously with approximately 10(7) viable M. avium ATCC 49601. Treatment with rifabutin at 10, 20, or 40 mg/kg of body weight was started 7 days postinfection and was administered daily for 10 days. The mice were sacrificed 3 to 5 days after the last dose. Spleens, livers, and lungs were homogenized, and viable cell counts were determined by serial dilution and plating onto Middlebrook 7H10 agar. A dose-related reduction in MAC cell counts in the organs was noted for this MAC isolate. The comparative activities of rifabutin and rifapentine were determined against a total of five MAC isolates in the beige mouse model. Rifabutin or rifapentine (20 mg/kg each) was administered to infected mice for 10 days. Groups of treated mice were compared with untreated control animals. Despite favorable in vitro susceptibility results, rifabutin and rifapentine had activities in the spleens against only two of the five MAC isolates. For these two MAC isolates, rifabutin was more active than rifapentine. These agents had activities in the lungs against three of five isolates. Further study of rifabutin or rifapentine against a broader range of clinical isolates in a murine infection model may be useful as part of the continuing development of newer rifamycins as anti-MAC agents.

Topics: Animals; Antitubercular Agents; Colony Count, Microbial; Disease Models, Animal; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Female; Humans; Lung; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Mycobacterium avium; Mycobacterium avium Complex; Rifabutin; Rifampin; Tuberculosis

The activity of rifapentine (MDL 473) was evaluated in the beige (C57BL/6J-bgj/bgj) mouse model of disseminated Mycobacterium avium infection. Approximately 10(7) cfu of M. avium, serotype 1, were given iv. Seven days later treatment was started with intraperitoneal rifapentine at 20 mg/kg of body weight. Treatment was given daily for five days followed by twice weekly for three weeks. The mice were killed two days after the last dose. Spleens, livers and lungs were homogenized and cfu/organ determined. Analysis of variance and Tukey honestly significant difference tests indicated that rifapentine reduced cfu in each of the organs compared with untreated controls. A dose-response experiment was performed with a daily rifapentine dose of 10, 20 or 40 mg/kg administered intraperitoneally. Dose-related reductions in cfu counts were observed in each of the organs. The activity of oral rifapentine at 20 mg/kg was demonstrated in a comparative experiment with rifampicin at 20, 40 or 60 mg/kg. Rifapentine significantly reduced cfu counts in organs compared with rifampicin. Rifapentine should be considered for further evaluation in the treatment of M. avium complex infection in humans.

Topics: Administration, Oral; Animals; Antitubercular Agents; Biological Availability; Disease Models, Animal; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Drug Administration Schedule; Female; Injections, Intraperitoneal; Male; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Mycobacterium avium; Rifampin; Tuberculosis

Rifampicin and rifapentine were used in the treatment of Listeria monocytogenes infections in normal mice and congenitally athymic (nude) mice. Results were compared with untreated controls and with the results obtained from a previous study of ampicillin in which this model was used. Low doses of rifampicin or rifapentine were adequate to cure normal mice. The efficacy of these antibiotic treatment schedules was lost in nude mice. Prolonged antibiotic treatment schedules with increased dosages were also unsuccessful. These studies show that rifampicin and rifapentine , two antimicrobial agents being capable of destroying intracellular bacteria, were not effective in curing the Listeria infection in mice with impaired host defenses.

Topics: Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Disease Models, Animal; Female; Half-Life; Listeriosis; Mice; Mice, Nude; Rifampin; T-Lymphocytes