Related Experiment Videos
Resistance to antifungal agents
1Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, USA.
Abstract:
The marked increase in the number of patients with AIDS and other forms of immunocompromise has resulted in the emergence of fungi as predominant pathogens in many institutions. Unfortunately, with the widespread use of antifungal agents to combat these infections, reports of resistance to antifungal agents have proliferated. In the present environment, the occurrence of resistance to antifungal agents is neither rare nor of negligible clinical importance. The expanding demand for antifungal agents mandates a new sense of vigilance for resistance. Although newly proposed standards for in vitro susceptibility testing should help to remove the ambiguity surrounding quantitative measurement of fungal resistance, lessons learned in the treatment of bacteria clearly now apply to fungi also: prolonged use of an antimicrobial agent will result in the selection of resistant organisms. The enlarging spectrum of resistance to antifungal agents must prompt aggressive searches for new modes of therapy. Strategies to inhibit fungal colonization, to augment host defenses, or to develop novel antifungal agents from Pseudomonas syringae or from peptide nanotubes are helping to solve this pressing clinical need.
Insights
Antifungal resistance is a growing concern in immunocompromised patients due to increased infections. New therapies are urgently needed to combat resistant fungal pathogens.
Area of Science:
- Medical Mycology
- Infectious Diseases
- Antimicrobial Resistance
Background:
- Increased incidence of Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) and immunocompromised states leads to fungal infections.
- Widespread use of antifungal agents has resulted in a significant rise in antifungal resistance.
- Antifungal resistance is a clinically significant and increasingly common problem.
Purpose of the Study:
- To highlight the growing issue of antifungal resistance.
- To emphasize the need for vigilance and new therapeutic strategies.
- To discuss potential novel approaches to combat resistant fungal infections.
Main Methods:
- Review of current clinical landscape regarding fungal infections and resistance.
- Discussion of implications of antimicrobial resistance principles in fungal infections.
- Exploration of emerging therapeutic strategies.
Main Results:
- Antifungal resistance is prevalent and clinically important.
- Prolonged use of antifungal agents selects for resistant organisms.
- Novel therapeutic strategies are under development.
Conclusions:
- Vigilance for antifungal resistance is crucial.
- New antifungal agents and therapeutic strategies are essential.
- Inhibiting fungal colonization and augmenting host defenses are promising avenues.