[Experience with voriconazole in invasive aspergillosis]

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Aug 13, 2026

Detection of Invasive Pulmonary Aspergillosis in Haematological Malignancy Patients by using Lateral-flow Technology
08:01

Detection of Invasive Pulmonary Aspergillosis in Haematological Malignancy Patients by using Lateral-flow Technology

Published on: March 22, 2012

E Thiel1, S Schwartz

  • 1Medizinische Klinik III, Hämatologie, Onkologie und Transfusionsmedizin, Charité, Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Freie Universität, Hindenburgdamm 30, D-12200 Berlin, Germany. ethiel@zedat.fu-berlin.de

Mycoses
|April 2, 2004
PubMed

Insights

Voriconazole offers improved treatment for invasive aspergillosis, a serious fungal infection in immunocompromised patients. Clinical studies show it is superior to amphotericin B, improving patient survival rates.

Area of Science:

  • Mycology
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Pharmacology

Context:

  • Invasive aspergillosis significantly contributes to morbidity and mortality in immunocompromised individuals.
  • Existing antifungal treatments demonstrate limited efficacy and unsatisfactory response rates.
  • There is a critical need for novel, effective antifungal therapies.

Purpose:

  • To evaluate the efficacy and safety of voriconazole for treating invasive aspergillosis.
  • To compare voriconazole's therapeutic response and survival rates against the established standard, amphotericin B.

Summary:

  • Voriconazole exhibits broad-spectrum antifungal activity, including against Aspergillus species.
  • It offers both intravenous and oral administration with excellent bioavailability.
  • Clinical trials demonstrate voriconazole's significant superiority over amphotericin B in therapy response and survival.
  • Achieved a notable 45% therapy response rate in invasive aspergillosis patients, including refractory cases.

Impact:

  • Voriconazole represents a significant advancement in managing invasive aspergillosis.
  • Improved treatment outcomes and survival rates for a vulnerable patient population.
  • Establishes a new standard of care for invasive aspergillosis treatment.

More Related Videos

Live Imaging of Antifungal Activity by Human Primary Neutrophils and Monocytes in Response to A. fumigatus12:29

Live Imaging of Antifungal Activity by Human Primary Neutrophils and Monocytes in Response to A. fumigatus

Published on: April 19, 2017

Histological Quantification to Determine Lung Fungal Burden in Experimental Aspergillosis09:52

Histological Quantification to Determine Lung Fungal Burden in Experimental Aspergillosis

Published on: March 9, 2018

Related Concept Videos

Endocarditis II: Clinical Features of Infective Endocarditis01:25

Endocarditis II: Clinical Features of Infective Endocarditis

Endocarditis can present various clinical features depending on the causative organism and the patient's underlying health conditions. Initially, the clinical features of infective endocarditis develop gradually, presenting with nonspecific symptoms that can be easily mistaken for other illnesses.General SymptomsEarly symptoms of infective endocarditis are fever, chills, weakness, malaise, fatigue, and weight loss. These symptoms reflect the systemic nature of the infection and the body's...
Fungal Phylum Ascomycota01:28

Fungal Phylum Ascomycota

Phylum Ascomycota, a major division within the subkingdom Dikarya, comprises a diverse range of fungal species, including both unicellular yeasts and filamentous molds such as Aspergillus and Penicillium. These fungi thrive in a variety of habitats, from aquatic ecosystems to terrestrial environments, playing crucial ecological and economic roles.Morphology and ReproductionThe defining characteristic of Ascomycetes, commonly referred to as sac fungi, is the ascus—a sac-like structure that...
Cryptococcal Meningitis01:27

Cryptococcal Meningitis

Cryptococcal meningitis is a life-threatening opportunistic infection predominantly associated with HIV/AIDS, accounting for over 100,000 deaths annually worldwide. However, it also affects individuals with other forms of immunosuppression, including those undergoing immunosuppressive therapy, organ transplant recipients, patients with innate immunodeficiencies, and individuals with hematological disorders. The infection is caused mainly by Cryptococcus neoformans and Cryptococcus gattii,...
Candidiasis01:20

Candidiasis

Candidiasis is a fungal infection caused by opportunistic species of Candida. It can affect various anatomical sites, including the skin, oral cavity, nails, and genitourinary tract. Among its forms, vaginal candidiasis is the most common type of mucosal infection. It typically results from the overgrowth of Candida albicans in the vaginal mucosa. Under normal conditions, C. albicans exists as a commensal organism within the vaginal microbiota, regulated by the dominance of lactobacilli, which...
Antifungal Agents01:15

Antifungal Agents

Amphotericin B is a broad-spectrum antifungal agent that exploits structural differences between fungal and mammalian cell membranes. Its amphipathic structure—featuring a hydrophobic polyene-lactone ring and a hydrophilic region containing mycosamine and carboxylic acid groups—enables selective binding to ergosterol, a sterol predominantly found in fungal plasma membranes. This selective interaction underlies the drug’s antifungal activity, although weak binding to cholesterol contributes to...
Antiprotozoal Agents01:21

Antiprotozoal Agents

Leishmaniasis is a widespread parasitic disease caused by several Leishmania species. It affects millions of people each year and remains a major public health problem in endemic regions. First-line treatment relies on pentavalent antimonials, including meglumine antimoniate and sodium stibogluconate. Even so, how these drugs work has not been fully clear, especially their interaction with parasite-specific biochemical pathways. One key target is trypanothione reductase (TR), an enzyme that...