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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Microbiol.
Sec. Infectious Agents and Disease
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2024.1463457
This article is part of the Research Topic Current Data, New Developments, and Perspectives for the Prophylaxis and Treatment of Zoonoses View all 5 articles

Comparative efficacy and safety of anti-cryptosporidial agents: An in vitro study on Nitazoxanide, Halofuginone Lactate, KDU731, and Paromomycin against Cryptosporidium parvum

Provisionally accepted
Saffron Whitta Saffron Whitta Bridget Lamont Bridget Lamont Rossarin Suwanarusk Rossarin Suwanarusk Bruce Malcom Russell Bruce Malcom Russell Morad-Remy Muhsin-Sharafaldine Morad-Remy Muhsin-Sharafaldine *
  • Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Otago, Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    This study evaluates the in vitro effectiveness of the anti-cryptosporidial agents Nitazoxanide, Halofuginone, the pyrazolopyridine analogue KDU731, and Paromomycin in combating the significant zoonotic pathogen Cryptosporidium parvum. The study utilizes HCT-8 host cells to culture C. parvum and fluorescent microscopy / qPCR for detecting parasitic growth. The efficacy of the compounds was assessed by calculating their inhibitory concentrations against the total growth of C. parvum at 48 hours post-infection. The study further investigates the impact of these compounds on early parasitophorous vacuole formation, merozoite egress, host cell viability, and cell growth cycle. KDU731 displayed the most promising profile, with low nanomolar (102 nM ± 2.28) activity and negligible host cell toxicity. This study offers new insights into the relative efficacy and safety of various anti-cryptosporidial compounds, highlighting their stage-specific effects on C. parvum and the consequential impacts on host cells. Identifying safe and effective anti-cryptosporidial agents contributes significantly to the One Health approach, emphasizing the importance of integrated strategies in controlling zoonotic diseases.

    Keywords: Cryptosporidium, Anti-parasitics, Cryptosporidiosis, Apicomplexa pathogen, Nitazoxanid (NTZ), Halofuginone Lactate, Lipid kinase inhibitors, Paromomycin

    Received: 11 Jul 2024; Accepted: 26 Aug 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Whitta, Lamont, Suwanarusk, Russell and Muhsin-Sharafaldine. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Morad-Remy Muhsin-Sharafaldine, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Otago, Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.