Evaluation of putative anti-cryptosporidial drugs in an in vitro culture system.

Cryptosporidium species are major pathogens severely affecting the health of neonate animals, in particular calves, but also cause life-threatening infection of immunocompromised humans. Currently, only halofuginone is approved for prophylactic and metaphylactic treatment of calves but this drug suffers from its limited safety margins. For treatment of immunodeficient human patients, only nitazoxanide and paramomycin are used but data regarding their efficacy are controversial.

Evaluation of nifurtimox for potential use in control of histomoniasis in turkeys.

Nifurtimox (NFX), a compound with known antiprotozoal activity, was evaluated for potential use in the prevention or treatment of histomoniasis in turkeys. A test of NFX in vitro showed that the compound was progressively active at concentrations of 12.5-200 ppm.

In silico analysis of the cyclophilin repertoire of apicomplexan parasites.

Background: Cyclophilins (Cyps) are peptidyl cis/trans isomerases implicated in diverse processes such as protein folding, signal transduction, and RNA processing. They are also candidate drug targets, in particular for the immunosuppressant cyclosporine A. In addition, cyclosporine is known to exhibit anti-parasitic effects on a wide range of organisms including several apicomplexa.

Excystation of Eimeria tenella sporozoites impaired by antibody recognizing gametocyte/oocyst antigens GAM22 and GAM56.

Eimeria tenella is the causative agent of coccidiosis in poultry. Infection of the chicken intestine begins with ingestion of sporulated oocysts releasing sporocysts, which in turn release invasive sporozoites. The monoclonal antibody E2E5 recognizes wall-forming body type II (WFBII) in gametocytes and the WFBII-derived inner wall of oocysts.

Eimeria tenella: genomic organization and expression of an 89kDa cyclophilin.

Though parasite cyclophilins are promising new drug targets, Eimeria tenella cyclophilins have not been characterized yet. Here, we describe an 89kDa cyclophilin, designated EtCYP89. It is expressed throughout the developmental cycle of E.

Humoral immune reaction of newborn calves congenitally infected with Neospora caninum and experimentally treated with toltrazuril.

Neospora caninum is widely recognized as one of the most important infectious organisms causing abortion and stillbirth in cattle. This parasite causes severe economical losses worldwide. Infection is mostly passed vertically from mother to calf during pregnancy.

Treatment of mice with the anticoccidial drug Toltrazuril does not interfere with the development of a specific cellular intestinal immune response to Eimeria falciformis.

Immunity against Eimeria-infections is highly specific and it depends on cell-mediated effector mechanisms. Infections of BALB/c mice with 1,000 sporulated oocysts of Eimeria falciformis led to protection against challenge infections. Treatment with the anti-coccidium Toltrazuril, during primary infection, terminated the ongoing disease and did not interfere with the establishment of protective immunity against challenge infections.

Pochonins A-F, new antiviral and antiparasitic resorcylic acid lactones from Pochonia chlamydosporia var. catenulata.

Monorden (1) and the novel resorcylic acid lactones pochonins A (2), B (4), C (6), D (7), and E (8) as well as tetrahydromonorden (5) and pseurotin A (22) were isolated from cultures of the clavicipitaceous hyphomycete Pochonia chlamydosporia var. catenulata strain P 0297. Fermentation of P 0297 in bromide-containing culture media led to a shift in secondary metabolite production and yielded monocillins III (3) and II (9) as major metabolites besides monorden (1) as well as the novel compounds pochonin F (10) and a monocillin II glycoside (11) as minor metabolites.

An explorative study to assess the efficacy of toltrazuril-sulfone (ponazuril) in calves experimentally infected with Neospora caninum.

Background: Neospora caninum is an important cause of infectious abortion and stillbirth in cattle world-wide. Infection is common and may frequently be passed from mother to calf (vertical transmission) with no signs of disease. Based on our previous observation that N.