by Lim W, Nyuykonge B, Eadie K, Konings M, Smeets J, Fahal A, Bonifaz A, Todd M, Perry B, Samby K, Burrows J, Verbon A, van de Sande W. PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases 2022;16(2):e0010159. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0010159
Summary: Eumycetoma is a chronic subcutaneous neglected tropical disease, caused by more than 40 different agents. Cure rates for the currently available treatments are low. To find novel drugs for eumycetoma, the authors tested 400 compounds from the Pandemic Response Box against five of these fungal agents. They identified four compounds that were able to inhibit all five fungi species in vitro (fenbendazole, carbendazim, tafenoquine, and MMV1578570). Compounds showing potent activity in vitro were further tested in vivo: four compounds significantly prolonged larvae survival in an in vivo Galleria mellonella model (fenbendazole, MMV1782387, ravuconazole, and olorofim). This study showed that benzimidazole carbamates are promising candidates to further explore for eumycetoma treatment.
