Antimicrobial activities of dihydrofolate reductase inhibitors, used singly or in combination with dapsone, against Mycobacterium ulcerans

Development of new treatments against Mycobacterium ulcerans infection has become crucial because of its wide-scale prevalence throughout the world. The effects of dihydrofolate reductase inhibitors, used either singly or in combination with dapsone against M. ulcerans were evaluated in vitro. When used singly, epiroprim was the most potent, with MICs between 0.5 and 1.0 mg/L, while trimethoprim was totally ineffective. The MICs of K-130 and brodimoprim ranged from 1.0-2.0 mg/L for the former to 2.0-16.0 mg/L for the latter. When combined with dapsone, synergic effects were observed with epiroprim, These results indicate the great potential of epiroprim in treating M. ulcerans infections.