Search Results (2)

Phytophthora infestans (Mont.) de Bary, the oomycotic pathogen responsible for potato late blight, is the most devastating disease of potato production. The primary pesticides used to control oomycosis are phenyl amide fungicides, which cause environmental pollution and toxic residues harmful to both human and animal health. To address this, an antimicrobial peptide, NoPv1, has been screened to target Plasmopara viticola cellulose synthase 2 (PvCesA2) to inhibit the growth of Phytophthora infestans (P. infestans). In this study, we employed AlphaFold2 to predict the three-dimensional structure of PvCesA2 along with NoPv peptides. Subsequently, utilizing computational methods, we dissected the interaction mechanism between PvCesA2 and these peptides. Based on this analysis, we performed a saturation mutation of NoPv1 and successfully obtained the double mutants DP1 and DP2 with a higher affinity for PvCesA2. Meanwhile, dynamics simulations revealed that both DP1 and DP2 utilize a mechanism akin to the barrel-stave model for penetrating the cell membrane. Furthermore, the predicted results showed that the antimicrobial activity of DP1 was superior to that of NoPv1 without being toxic to human cells. These findings may offer insights for advancing the development of eco-friendly pesticides targeting various oomycete diseases, including late blight. Full article

Pythium insidiosum, an aquatic oomycete with pathogenic potential in mammals, causes gastrointestinal and cutaneous disease in dogs. Mefenoxam, an agricultural anti-oomycotic compound, has a demonstrated the ability to inhibit P. insidiosum growth in vitro and has been associated with efficacy in treating gastrointestinal pythiosis in several case reports. Electronic medical records of dogs seen at University of Florida Small Animal Hospital and treated with mefenoxam between 2013 and 2020 were searched. Dogs were included in this study upon previous definitive diagnosis with either organism identification using culture, PCR, or antibody ELISA, or a combination of these tests with or without supportive histopathological analysis. Since 2013, mefenoxam had been administered to 25 dogs with cutaneous pythiosis and 16 dogs with gastrointestinal pythiosis. In both gastrointestinal and cutaneous pythiosis groups, the administration of mefenoxam was associated with a survivability rate of approximately 51%. There was a statistically significant difference in the time to death between cutaneous (245 days (52–530)) and gastrointestinal (90 days (21–203)) groups; dogs infected with cutaneous pythiosis survived significantly longer after being diagnosed with the disease (p = 0.035). The dogs in this study experienced increased survival rates and time to death, in the absence of side effects due to mefenoxam, compared with previously published literature. The results of this retrospective study, with some limitations, are promising and should prompt further investigation into the use of mefenoxam in the treatment of both gastrointestinal and cutaneous pythiosis. Full article