Abstract
Nikkomycin Z (NikZ) is a chitin synthase inhibitor with antifungal efficacy against Coccidioides spp. and other endemic fungi. Dogs suffer a rate and range of natural coccidioidomycosis similar to humans and were considered an excellent model for initially testing NikZ against naturally acquired disease. Twelve dogs with coccidioidal pneumonia that had been present for an average of three months were treated with 250 mg (5–15 kg) or 500 mg (> 15–30 kg) twice daily for 60 days. Nine dogs completed the course of treatment and seven dogs had improvement in disease based on radiographs, clinicopathological parameters, physical examination findings, and subjective assessment by owners; three dogs had resolution or near resolution of disease. Based on this small study, NikZ shows efficacy to treat naturally acquired coccidioidomycosis and merits further development for trials in humans.
Acknowledgments
We thank the emergency veterinarians and technicians at Veterinary Specialty Center of Tucson for their time and expertise in drawing timed blood samples from the dogs in this study, and Christine Butkiewicz, DVM, for helping to enroll and evaluate dogs in the study. The authors appreciate the assistance of Nathan Hanan and C. Michael Thompson in performing the HPLC analysis of NikZ.
Declaration of interest: Dr John Galgiani is Chief Medical Officer and a significant shareholder in Valley Fever Therapies, LLC, which is developing nikkomycin Z for treatment of coccidioidomycosis in humans. Dr Galgiani contributed to the design and analysis of the study. The remaining authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and the writing of the paper.
Work was supported by the Valley Fever Center for Excellence Companion Animal Fund and by the J. T. Tai and Company Foundation.