Evidence for DNA synthesis in Pneumocystis carinii trophozoites treated with the beta-1,3-glucan synthesis inhibitor pneumocandin L-693,989.

Pneumocandins inhibit beta-1,3-glucan synthesis preventing the development of Pneumocystis cysts that are absent from the lungs of treated rats. To determine whether treated trophozoites are capable of DNA replication, cytochemical analyses were performed on 4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI)- and DB181-stained Pneumocystis carinii isolated from pneumocandin L-693-989-treated rats. Fluorescence intensities of trophozoite nuclei from drug-treated rats were greater than those of untreated controls, suggesting that DNA replication was not inhibited but that cytokinesis and perhaps karyokinesis were blocked.