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Loperamide exerts a direct bactericidal effect against M. tuberculosis , M. bovis , M. terrae and M. smegmatis
Author(s) -
Barrientos O.M.,
Juárez E.,
Gonzalez Y.,
CastroVilleda D.A.,
Torres M.,
GuzmánBeltrán S.
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
letters in applied microbiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.698
H-Index - 110
eISSN - 1472-765X
pISSN - 0266-8254
DOI - 10.1111/lam.13432
Subject(s) - microbiology and biotechnology , mycobacterium smegmatis , antimycobacterial , tuberculosis , loperamide , mycobacterium bovis , mycobacterium tuberculosis , mycobacterium , medicine , biology , diarrhea , pathology
Abstract Tuberculosis (TB) is caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis . TB is highly prevalent, characterized by the constant occurrence of drug‐resistant cases, and confounded by the incidence of respiratory disease caused by non‐tuberculous mycobacteria (NTB). Expanding the spectrum of drugs for the treatment of TB is indispensable. Loperamide, an antidiarrhoeal drug, enhances immune‐driven antimycobacterial activity, and we aimed to evaluate its bactericidal activity against M. tuberculosis , Mycobacterium bovis BCG, Mycobacterium terrae and Mycobacterium smegmatis . Loperamide exhibited an inhibitory effect against all mycobacterial species tested, with MICs of 100 and 150 μ g ml −1 . Thus, loperamide is a mycobactericidal drug with potential as adjunctive therapy for TB and NTB infections.