Moderate prevalence of HIV-1 transmitted drug resistance mutations in southern Brazil.

Background: Despite the advances in therapy, the occurrence of drug-resistant human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) is a major obstacle to successful treatment. This study aimed to characterize the genetic diversity and to determine the prevalence of transmitted drug resistance mutations (TDRM) between individuals recently or chronically diagnosed with HIV-1 from Paraná, Brazil.

Methods: A total of 260 HIV-1 positive antiretroviral therapy-naïve patients were recruited to participate on the study, of which 39 were recently diagnosed.

Intramacrophage Mycobacterium tuberculosis efflux pump gene regulation after rifampicin and verapamil exposure.

Objectives: Since resistance of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) partially derives from efflux pumps (EPs) in the plasma membrane, the current study evaluates EPs in Mtb exposed to rifampicin in the presence of the EP inhibitor verapamil, within a macrophage environment.

Methods: Human acute monocytic leukaemia cell line THP-1 was infected with Mtb H37Rv and exposed to rifampicin and verapamil alone and in combination for 24 and 72 h. After RNA extraction, quantitative PCR was carried out for 11 EP genes using SYBR green PCR master mix in the StepOne™ Real-Time PCR System.

Morphological changes and differentially expressed efflux pump genes in Mycobacterium tuberculosis exposed to a rifampicin and verapamil combination.

The aim of the present study was to (i) evaluate the in vitro action of rifampicin (RIF), ethambutol or isoniazid with efflux pumps inhibitors (EPIs) in Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) H37Rv and (ii) evaluate the morphological and efflux pumps (EPs) transcriptional changes by the action of rifampicin + verapamil combination (RIF + VP). The minimal inhibitory concentration and synergic effect of drug combinations were determined by Resazurin Microtiter Plate Assay and Resazurin Drugs Combination Microtiter Assay, respectively. VP showed greater capacity of ethidium bromide accumulation and RIF + VP had the lower fractional inhibitory concentration index.

In vitro activity of rifampicin and verapamil combination in multidrug-resistant mycobacterium tuberculosis.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of the combination of rifampicin (RIF) and verapamil (VP) against the Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv reference strain and six multidrug-resistant (MDR) M. tuberculosis clinical isolates by determining Time-Kill Curves and the ability to efflux drug by fluorometry. The RIF+VP combination showed synergism in one MDR clinical isolate.

Detection of drug susceptibility in rapidly growing mycobacteria by resazurin broth microdilution assay.

The susceptibility of rapidly growing mycobacteria (RGM) to linezolid and ciprofloxacin was evaluated by using resazurin as a growth indicator. The assay with resazurin supplemented medium performed as well as its addition to the medium at reading time and was efficient for the determination for the susceptibility profile in RGM.