Scientists ID drug dosage for fungal disease
Aspergillosis is a respiratory fungal disease commonly seen in African penguins under managed care.
Liverpool researchers have found the most effective drug dosage to help penguins fight off a common disease.
Aspergillosis is a respiratory fungal disease commonly seen in African penguins under managed care. The anti-fungal medication itraconazole, which was previously used to treat the disease, failed due to drug resistance.
Another anti-fungal called voriconazole has been used recently, but the dosing was based on other avian medications and penguins suffered adverse effects as a result.
Researchers from the University of Liverpool wanted to identify the most effective dose of the drug. Led by Dr Katharine Stott, the team analysed the concentration of voriconazole in plasma taken from African penguins, in order to determine the effectiveness of multiple single and daily oral doses.
This data was used to construct a mathematical model to simulate alternative dosing strategies to find one that replicated the drug exposure that is effective in humans, whilst avoiding toxicity.
The findings, which were published in BioOne, show that 5mg/kg of voriconazole once a day is a safe and effective dosing strategy for African penguins with invasive aspergillosis.
Companies marketing medicines for small pets exempt from authorisation must submit their annual return to the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) by 30 November 2026.
