Efficacy of posaconazole against rhizopus oryzae infection in silkworm

Abstract

Rhizopus oryzae causes fatal invasive mucormycosis, especially in immunocompromised patients. Posaconazole is used to treat mucormycosis caused by R. oryzae, which is resistant to fluconazole and voriconazole. We evaluated the efficacy of posaconazole against R. oryzae in vivo using a silkworm infection model at 37°C, the human body temperature. The level of pathogenicity differed among the R. oryzae isolates, and posaconazole prolonged the survival of infected silkworms. Therefore, the silkworm infection model is suitable for investigating the virulence factors of R. oryzae and developing antifungal agents for mucormycosis.