The effect of treatment with a protease inhibitor on mycobacterial infection

Mycobacterial infection occurs frequently in patients that receive protease inhibitors, which are drugs used to treat AIDS, but are known for metabolic effects. Proteases of microbial antigens have been recognized as important regulators of host inflammation and cellular response. To evaluate protease inhibitor effect on a mycobacterial infection, a pilot animal model was established. Mycobacterium bovis (bacillus Calmette-Guerin, or BCG) infection was compared in rats that received ritonavir and those that did not. Tissues and serum from one drug-treated and one control were analyzed weekly. Fewer acid-fast bacilli (AFBs) were consistently found in the drug-treated group by 3 separate measures: culture of tissue homogenates on solid media, tissue granuloma counts on organ sections, and staining of tissues for AFBs. Possible mechanisms of the observed relative resistance to BCG infection in ritonavir-treated rats were explored, by evaluating M. bovis cell wall lipids and proteins and by measuring infection-related cytokines in treated and control animals.