Amoebicidal Effect of Fluconazole and Verapamil Together Against Trophozoites and Cysts of Acanthamoeba castellanii

: Acanthamoeba species are important pathogens that causes Acanthamoeba keratitis, which causes a visual loss, as well as central nervous system infection and death by causing encephalitis. Due to the limited available options to successfully treat Acanthamoeba infections, new therapeutic approaches must be developed, and especially combination drug therapy may be a successful and effective strategy. The aim of this study was to assess the combination efficacy of verapamil and fluconazole against Acanthamoeba trophozoites and cysts. The effects of drugs on growth inhibition against Acanthamoeba were tested using amoebicidal assays. The viability of Acanthamoeba was assessed using Trypan blue and hemocytometer counts. The effect of three different concentrations of “fluconazole”, “verapamil” and “fluconazole + verapamil” combination on growth inhibition against Acanthamoeba trophozoites and cysts was significant compared to the control ( p < 0.05 ). While Acanthamoeba reduced the viability of 250 µg/ml fluconazole and verapamil on trophozoites to 2.3 x 10 4 and 3 x 10 4 numbers, fluconazole + verapamil combination showed 100% growth inhibition on trophozoites