[Could antifungal lock be useful in the management of candidiasis linked with catheters?]

Area of Science:

• Medical Mycology
• Infectious Diseases
• Pharmacology

Background:

• Fungal biofilms on medical devices, particularly catheters, are a significant cause of candidemia.
• These biofilms exhibit reduced susceptibility to conventional antifungal medications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of antifungal lock therapy as a novel treatment strategy for fungal biofilms on medical devices.
• To discuss the clinical relevance of this therapeutic approach based on current research.

Main Methods:

• Review of in vitro and in vivo studies assessing antifungal lock therapy.
• Analysis of antifungal agents used in lock therapy, including amphotericin B, azoles, and echinocandins.

Main Results:

• Antifungal lock therapy involves instilling high antimicrobial concentrations into device lumens for 8-12 hours.
• Studies indicate promising results for antifungal locks in combating biofilm-associated candidemia.

Conclusions:

• Antifungal lock therapy presents a potentially effective strategy against challenging fungal biofilms.
• Further discussion on the relevance and application of this technique is warranted.