Texas A&M researchers find Zoloft useful in preventing deadly infections
A well-known antidepressant could be useful in preventing fatal fungal infections such as meningitis, according to research by a team of Texas A&M biologists.
Xiaorong Lin, an assistant professor of biology, and Matthew Sachs, a biology professor, spent two years investigating how Zoloft affected the primary agent found in fungal meningitis — a rare but life-threatening form of the disease.
“The point here is that if there is a drug that already exists, is known to be well-tolerated and has alternative uses, that’s a good thing,” Sachs said. “The billion dollars it would take to bring a drug to the market — that’s already done.”
Experimenting with mice, the biologists found that Zoloft has an effect similar to that of fluconazole, a commonly prescribed anti-fungal medication.
http://www.theeagle.com/article/20120728/BC0101/120729565/1142
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