Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 11, 2026
08:54
Broth Microdilution In Vitro Screening: An Easy and Fast Method to Detect New Antifungal Compounds
Published on: February 14, 2018
[New antifungal and antiparasitic molecules]
Medecine Tropicale : Revue Du Corps De Sante Colonial
|January 1, 1987
Summary
Antifungal and antiparasitic drug research has yielded effective treatments for mycoses and parasitic infections. However, potent chemotherapy remains elusive for many tropical diseases, highlighting an ongoing need for novel drug development.
Area of Science:
- Pharmacology and Medicinal Chemistry
- Infectious Diseases
- Tropical Medicine
Context:
- Antifungal and antiparasitic drug discovery has seen significant advancements over the past two decades.
- Established drugs like ketoconazole and itraconazole are effective against deep mycoses.
- Veterinary anthelmintics such as flubendazole, albendazole, and praziquantel are now utilized in human medicine.
Purpose:
- To review the current landscape of antifungal and antiparasitic agents.
- To identify promising therapeutic candidates and highlight unmet needs in tropical disease treatment.
Summary:
- Imidazoles exhibit broad-spectrum antifungal activity. Recently introduced anthelmintics are effective, with ivermectin showing promise for filariasis.
- Nitro-imidazoles possess antiprotozoal activity but are poor amoebicides. Mefloquine and halofantrine show antiplasmodial effects.
- Many tropical diseases, including filariasis, leishmaniasis, and trypanosomiasis, currently lack sufficiently potent chemotherapies.
Impact:
- Advances in antifungal and antiparasitic drug research offer improved treatment options for various infections.
- The identification of ivermectin and antiplasmodial agents contributes to the arsenal against parasitic and protozoal diseases.
- Significant gaps remain in treating neglected tropical diseases, necessitating continued research and development of novel chemotherapeutics.
Related Concept Videos
01:28Antimicrobial Effectiveness
The effectiveness of antimicrobial agents depends on various factors influencing their ability to eliminate microbial populations. Larger microbial populations require more time for complete eradication, emphasizing the importance of population size analysis when evaluating antimicrobial efficacy.Microbial resistance to antimicrobial agents varies significantly. Highly resilient microorganisms include endospores, gram-negative bacteria, and non-enveloped viruses, while prions are exceptionally...
01:20Candidiasis
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...
01:22Antiviral Nucleoside Inhibitors
Antiviral Nucleoside InhibitorsAntiviral nucleoside inhibitors are structural analogs of natural nucleosides that interfere with viral DNA or RNA synthesis. These compounds selectively target viral polymerases due to their resemblance to host nucleosides, thereby disrupting viral genome replication.Mechanism of Acyclovir ActionAcyclovir is a guanosine analog with a three-carbon acyclic side chain. It selectively targets herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1), herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2),...
01:15Antifungal 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...
01:15Anthelminthic Agents
Anthelmintic drugs differ significantly from antiparasitic therapies targeting protozoa, primarily due to differences in parasite biology. Whereas most protozoal treatments act on proliferating cells, anthelmintics are typically directed against mature, nonproliferative helminths. The therapeutic approach considers the helminth's reliance on neuromuscular coordination, glucose metabolism, and microtubular integrity for survival, reproduction, and localization within the host. Most anthelmintics...
01:21Antiprotozoal 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...