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Tag: amoeba

Differential Growth Rates and In Vitro Drug Susceptibility to Currently Used Drugs for Multiple Isolates of Naegleria fowleri

Donna Huber on February 9, 2022

The free-living amoeba Naegleria fowleri, which typically dwells within warm, freshwater environments, can opportunistically cause primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM), a disease with a mortality rate of >97%. The lack of positive treatment outcomes for PAM has prompted the discovery and development of more effective therapeutics, yet most studies utilize only one or two clinical isolates. …

Discovery of repurposing drug candidates for the treatment of diseases caused by pathogenic free-living amoebae

Donna Huber on September 24, 2020

Diseases caused by pathogenic free-living amoebae include primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (Naegleria fowleri), granulomatous amoebic encephalitis (Acanthamoeba spp.), Acanthamoeba keratitis, and Balamuthia amoebic encephalitis (Balamuthia mandrillaris). Each of these are difficult to treat and have high morbidity and mortality rates due to lack of effective therapeutics. Since repurposing drugs is an ideal strategy for orphan diseases, …

Dennis Kyle: Finding Solutions for Deadly Diseases

Donna Huber on September 21, 2020

Dennis Kyle leads the UGA Center for Tropical and Emerging Diseases, and his endowment enables him to run a 16-person lab of student researchers, postdocs, and research scientists fighting a host of parasitic diseases around the world. (Photo by Andrew Davis Tucker/UGA) GRA Endowment helps researchers save lives through drug discovery The Amoeba Summit in …

Trainee Spotlight: Emma Troth

Donna Huber on July 23, 2020

Emma Troth, a Ph.D. trainee in Dennis Kyle's laboratory, is entering her fourth year at UGA. She is originally from Eureka, Illinois, and attended Bradley University where she majored in Biology with a minor in Ethics. While at UGA, Emma has served as president of the CTEGD Graduate Student Association (2019-2020) and is currently the …

Discovery of Anti-Amoebic Inhibitors from Screening the MMV Pandemic Response Box on Balamuthia mandrillaris, Naegleria fowleri, and Acanthamoeba castellanii

Donna Huber on June 16, 2020

Pathogenic free-living amoebae, Balamuthia mandrillaris, Naegleria fowleri, and several Acanthamoeba species are the etiological agents of severe brain diseases, with case mortality rates > 90%. A number of constraints including misdiagnosis and partially effective treatments lead to these high fatality rates. The unmet medical need is for rapidly acting, highly potent new drugs to reduce these alarming mortality rates. …

In vitro screening of the open source MMV Malaria and Pathogen Boxes to discover novel compounds with activity against Balamuthia mandrillaris

Donna Huber on February 18, 2020

Balamuthia mandrillaris, is an under reported pathogenic free-living amoeba that causes Balamuthia amoebic encephalitis (BAE) and cutaneous skin infections. Although cutaneous infections are not typically lethal, BAE with or without cutaneous involvement usually is fatal. This is due to lack of drugs that are efficacious and that can cross the blood-brain barrier. We aimed to discover new …