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Background: Persistent and relapsing babesiosis caused by Babesia microti often occurs in immunocompromised patients, and has been associated with resistance to antimicrobial agents such as atovaquone. Given the rising incidence of babesiosis in the United States, novel drugs are urgently needed. In the current study, we tested whether clofazimine (CFZ), an antibiotic used to treat leprosy and drug-resistant tuberculosis, is effective against B. microti.Methods: Mice with severe combined immunodeficiency were infected with 107B. microti-infected erythrocytes. Parasites were detected by means of microscopic examination of Giemsa-stained blood smears or nested polymerase chain reaction. CFZ was administered orally.Results: Uninterrupted monotherapy with CFZ curtailed the rise of parasitemia and achieved radical cure. B. microti parasites and B. microti DNA were cleared by days 10 and 50 of therapy, respectively. A 7-day administration of CFZ delayed the rise of parasitemia by 22 days. This rise was caused by B. microti isolates that did not carry mutations in the cytochrome b gene. Accordingly, a 14-day administration of CFZ was sufficient to resolve high-grade parasitemia caused by atovaquone-resistant B. microti parasites.Conclusions: Clofazimine is effective against B. microti infection in the immunocompromised host. Additional preclinical studies are required to identify the minimal dose and dosage of CFZ for babesiosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents information on drugs marketed in the United States, as of 1987. Antibiotics; Antibacterial drugs; Antileprosy drugs; Antiviral drugs; Antihypertensives.

Molecular drug susceptibility testing was performed on 39 US patients with leprosy. Of these, 2 had dapsone-resistant Mycobacterium leprae and 1 of these patients also had rifampin-resistant M. leprae. Even though antileprosy drug resistance occurs in this leprosy population, resistance does not appear to be a major problem. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Presents news items concerning drugs in the United States as of April 1987. Expected approval of azidothymidine or Retrovir by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA); Approval of encainide or Enkaid for treatment of ventricular dysrhythmias; FDA's approval of the antileprotic drug clofazimine or Lamprene from Ciba-Geigy.

The article reports on the findings of the study conducted by Johns Hopkins University researchers regarding the potential of the drug clofazimine, which was intended for tuberculosis, to treat other diseases in the U.S. The researchers found that clofazimine has the potential to treat autoimmune diseases. Moreover, the drug was identified to target a protein pore called the Kv1.3 potassium channel, which plays a vital role in the signaling process of cells in the immune system.