Treatment of disseminated histoplasmosis in hamsters

A comparative study between itraconazole, ketoconazole and amphotericin B in the treatment of experimental histoplasmosis in hamsters was carried out. Seventy five animals were inoculated intracardiacally with the yeast-phase of Histoplasma capsulatum. They were divided in 5 groups: 1) treated with itraconazole by gavage (g) at a daily dose of 16 mg/kg; 2) treated with ketoconazole by (g) at a daily dose of 80 mg/kg; 3) treated with amphotericin B intraperitoneally (i.p.) at 6 mg/kg every other day; 4) control animals receiving distilled water i.p. and 5) control animals receiving P.E.G. 200 by (g). All the treatments were started one week after the challenge inoculation and they were given for 21 days. The results were evaluated by autopsy of all the animals one week after the end of the treatments. The following determinations were taken into account: microscopic examinations of spleen, liver and lungs and cultures of the spleen with determination of colony forming units/g. All the antifungal drugs used in this study were able to cause negative microscopic examinations of the liver, spleen and lungs; but only amphotericin B produced culture negative results. Itraconazole and ketoconazole presented 66% and 86% of positive cultures respectively, nevertheless the C.F.U. were lower than those obtained in control groups. In these experimental conditions amphotericin B seems to be more active than the azolic compounds and itraconazole is slightly superior to ketoconazole at a lower dose.