Efflux-Pump Inhibition Could Reduce TB Treatment Duration

In a murine model, adding the efflux-pump inhibitor verapamil to isoniazid, rifampin, and pyrazinamide appeared to speed the clearance of Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Antimicrobial-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which has emerged in part because of the complexity and length of current therapy, is a major problem in the treatment of tuberculosis (TB). A mycobacterial efflux pump promotes intracellular survival and may mediate tolerance to antimicrobials. Several licensed drugs, including verapamil, are efflux-pump inhibitors (EPIs), and their use may increase the sensitivity of mycobacteria to already available antimicrobial agents.

To examine this possibility, investigators used a murine model of TB. When C3HeB/FeJ mice, which develop pulmonary lesions similar to those of humans, were infected by aerosol with M. tuberculosis and then given a standard chemotherapy regimen of isoniazid, rifampin, and…

Reviewing Author

Neil M. Ampel, MD

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Editorial BoardsUpToDate

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesCoccidioidomycosis Study Group (Past President, Secretary, Treasurer)

Neil M. Ampel, MD

Disclosures

Editorial BoardsUpToDate

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesCoccidioidomycosis Study Group (Past President, Secretary, Treasurer)

Efflux-Pump Inhibition Could Reduce TB Treatment Duration

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Reviewing Author