Overview of Treatment Approaches for Fungal Infections

Invasive fungal diseases cause high morbidity and mortality in an immunocompromised host. Antifungals are the drugs of choice and can be divided into 4 main groups: polyenes, azoles, echinocandins, and pyrimidine analogues. Each class has its specific mechanism of action, spectrum of activity, and p...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inClinics in chest medicine Vol. 38; no. 3; p. 393
Main Authors Carmona, Eva M, Limper, Andrew H
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States 01.09.2017
Subjects
Antifungal Agents - therapeutic use
Humans
Mycoses - therapy
Antifungal
Amphotericin
Triazoles
Echinocandins
Flucytosine
Fungal infections
Invasive mycoses
Online AccessGet more information

Cover

More Information
Summary:Invasive fungal diseases cause high morbidity and mortality in an immunocompromised host. Antifungals are the drugs of choice and can be divided into 4 main groups: polyenes, azoles, echinocandins, and pyrimidine analogues. Each class has its specific mechanism of action, spectrum of activity, and pharmacokinetic and side effects. It is important to understand the precise use of the established and new antifungal agents to successfully manage these complex infections in an already tenuous and frail host. This article discusses the main characteristics, clinical uses, and secondary effects of the main antifungals used in clinical practice.
ISSN:1557-8216
DOI:10.1016/j.ccm.2017.04.003