ABSTRACT
The effects of the protease inhibitors saquinavir, darunavir, ritonavir, and indinavir on growth inhibition, protease and phospholipase activities, as well as capsule thickness of Cryptococcus neoformans were investigated. Viral protease inhibitors did not reduce fungal growth when tested in concentrations ranging from 0.001 to 1.000 mg/L. A tendency toward increasing phospholipase activity was observed with the highest tested drug concentration in a strain-specific pattern. However, these drugs reduced protease activity as well as capsule production. Our results confirm a previous finding that antiretroviral drugs affect the production of important virulence factors of C. neoformans.
Subject(s)
Anti-Retroviral Agents/pharmacology , Cryptococcus neoformans/drug effects , Gene Expression Regulation, Fungal/drug effects , Protease Inhibitors/pharmacology , Cryptococcus neoformans/enzymology , Cryptococcus neoformans/pathogenicity , Indinavir/pharmacology , Ritonavir/pharmacology , Saquinavir/pharmacology , Virulence Factors/geneticsABSTRACT
Candida meningitis is a rare condition that occurs more frequently in premature infants, immunocompromised patients or patients after neurosurgery. We describe a case of a previously healthy 41-year-old man with Candida parapsilosis meningitis associated with oropharyngeal candidiasis as the first manifestation of AIDS.