Are cytochrome b gene mutations the only cause of atovaquone resistance in Pneumocystis?

E S Kaneshiro

Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45221, USA. Edna.Kaneshiro@uc.edu

Drug resistance updates : reviews and commentaries in antimicrobial and anticancer chemotherapy 2001 Oct

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There is evidence that exposure of the opportunistic pathogen Pneumocystis to atovaquone enhances the development of resistance to the drug. Atovaquone is a structural analog of ubiquinone, which binds to the mitochondrial cytochrome bc(1) complex and inhibits electron transport. Like the parasites Plasmodium and Toxoplasma, atovaquone resistance can result from mutations in the cytochrome b gene of Pneumocystis. However, atovaquone resistance cannot be explained by cytochrome b gene mutations in all cases. The discovery that atovaquone also inhibits biosynthesis of ubiquinone in P. carinii may unfold other mechanisms by which drug resistance develops. Copyright 2002, Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Citation

E S Kaneshiro. Are cytochrome b gene mutations the only cause of atovaquone resistance in Pneumocystis? Drug resistance updates : reviews and commentaries in antimicrobial and anticancer chemotherapy. 2001 Oct;4(5):322-9