The potency of luliconazole against clinical and environmental Aspergillus nigri complex

Abstract

Background and Objectives: Black Aspergillus strains including, Aspergillus niger and A. tubingensis, are the most cause
 of otomycosis with worldwide distribution. Although, amphotericin B was a Gold standard for the treatment of invasive
 fungal infection for several decades, it gradually replaced by fluconazole and /or voriconazole. Moreover, luliconazole,
 appears to offer the best potential for in vitro activity against black Aspergillus strains. The aim of the present study was
 to compare the in vitro activity luliconazole, with commonly used antifungals against clinical and environmental strains of
 black Aspergillus.
 Materials and Methods: Sixty seven (37 clinical and 30 environmental) strains of black Aspergillus were identified using
 morphological and molecular technique (β-Tubulin gene). In addition, antifungal susceptibility test was applied according to
 CLSI M38 A2. The results were reported as minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) or minimum effective concentration
 (MEC) range, MIC50 or MEC50, MIC90 or MEC90 and MIC geometric (GM) or MECGM.
 Results: Aspergillus niger was the common isolate followed by, A. tubingensis in both clinical and environmental strains.
 The lowest MIC range, MIC50, MIC90, and MICGM was attributed to luliconazole in clinical strains. The highest resistant rate
 was found in amphotericin B for both clinical (86.5%) and environmental (96.7%) strains whereas 54.1% of clinical and 30%
 of environmental isolates were resistant to caspofungin. Clinical strains of Aspergillus were more sensitive to voriconazole
 (86.7%) than environmental strains (70.3%). On the other hand, 83.8% of clinical and 70% of environmental isolates were
 resistant to posaconazole.
 Conclusion: Luliconazole versus amphotericin B, voriconazole, posaconazole and caspofungin is a potent antifungal for
 Aspergillus Nigri complex. The in vitro extremely antifungal efficacy against black Aspergillus strains of luliconazole, is
 different from those of other used antifungals.

Multicenter Study of Susceptibility of Aspergillus Species Isolated from Iranian University Hospitals to Seven Antifungal Agents

“…Species of Aspergillus section Nigri were reported as the most frequently isolated pathogens from otomycosis, but they are less commonly found in clinical samples ( 26 ). In the present study, the lowest MIC GM values observed in Aspergillus section Nigri were for LUL, CAS, and ISA.…”

“…In the present study, the lowest MIC GM values observed in Aspergillus section Nigri were for LUL, CAS, and ISA. According to the work of Hivary et al, the lowest MIC range, MIC 90 , and MIC GM values for species of Aspergillus section Nigri in Iran belonged to LUL, and 86.7% of clinical isolates were sensitive to VOR ( 26 ). Moreover, 86.5%, 54.1%, and 83.8% of isolates in the work of Hivary et al were found to be resistant to AMB, CAS, and POS, respectively ( 26 ), and these data are similar to those of the present study.…”

Discovery of Anti-Amoebic Inhibitors from Screening the MMV Pandemic Response Box on Balamuthia mandrillaris, Naegleria fowleri, and Acanthamoeba castellanii

“…Luliconazole is an FDA-approved imidazole antifungal agent that is typically administered in a topical cream, and primarily prescribed for the fungal foot infection, tinea pedis [59]. Currently, luliconazole is being investigated for its use against a broad spectrum of fungal afflictions including aspergillosis, dermatophytosis, and onychomycosis [60]. Ravuconazole is a triazole antifungal approved for clinical use in Japan for treatment of tinea pedis but has yet to receive FDA approval [61].…”

The high efficacy of luliconazole against environmental and otomycosis Aspergillus flavus strains

“…Luliconazole was recently shown a potent in vitro activity against Aspergillus species including A. fumigatus (2), A. terreus (5), A. flavus (7) and A. niger complex (34) in comparison with other routine antifungal drugs. However, there is no data about the efficacy of luliconazole on A. flavus with otomycosis sources.…”