Recent Trends In Antifungal Agents And Antifungal Therapy

Fungal infections have taken a new spectrum due to the increased incidence of multi-drug resistant fungal pathogens. Freedom of choice for drugs to treat fungal infections is also narrow because of lesser probability of discovering drugs that would bypass affecting human cells and target fungal cells producing fewer side effects in patients. An approach has gained prominence in research is to look for bioactive antifungal compounds from natural to synthetic sources. It is necessary to discover new classes of antifungals to control the recent emergence of multi-drug resistant fungal infections. This book proposed a details top to bottom outline of antifungal compounds derived naturally or synthetically. The details of their modifications or synthetic analogues have been described, helpful to understand the structure-activity relationship which leads to new compound development in antifungal chemotherapy. Each chapter begins with a comprehensive, top-bottom in-depth discussion of antifungal agents with updated bibliographic references. This compendium will serve as a companion not only for Scientists, Researchers, and Professors, Medical Practitioners but also a valuable reference text for the university students.

Invasive fungal infections (IFIs) demand a tremendous levy in terms of human life and healthcare costs, despite the fact that fungal diseases are still under-diagnosed and under reported. Several factors such as patient characteristics, antifungal prophylaxis and others appear to have contributed to a change in the spectrum of invasive fungal pathogens (i.e. Candida species, Non-Candida species, Aspergillus species and Non-Aspergillus species). Therefore, it is important to recognize and minimize the major risk factors associated with infection, and expanding the antifungal drug research for new antifungal agents to treat life-threatening invasive infections. This book would highlight past and current research on fungal pathogens and antifungal therapies, and also novel targets for antifungal agents for future development in medical practice to prevent invasive fungal infections. The book will describe novel antifungal agents, its targets, and various development phases and potential benefits of combination therapy.

A concise one-stop-practical reference for the various physicians dealing with fungal infections, Antifungal Therapy appeals to infectious disease physicians, transplant surgeons, dermatologists, and intensivists, as well as basic scientists and pharmaceutical company researchers interested in the state of antifungal therapy. This book provides a c

This second volume of PDR SPECIAL TOPICS contains five review articles, covering nearly the entire field of fungal diseases in humans as well as therapeutic approaches. The main emphasis of the book lies in antifungal therapy: the most relevant information on the present state of the art of antifungal chemotherapy for dermatomycoses, subcutaneous and invasive mycoses is summarized, and open questions and unsolved problems are presented. The book is ideal for both the practitioner as well as advanced student.

Fungal infections such as candidoses can range from superficial mucous membrane infection to life-threatening systemic mycoses. Candida infections are a significant clinical problem globally due to rapid rise in compromised host populations including HIV/AIDS, organ transplant recipients and patients on chemotherapy. In addition, sharp increase in aging populations which are susceptible to fungal infections is expected in next few decades. Antifungal drugs are relatively difficult to develop compared to the antibacterial drugs owing to the eukaryotic nature of the cells. Therefore, only a handful of antifungal agents are currently available to treat the myriad of fungal infections. Moreover, rising antifungal resistance and host-related adverse reactions have limited the antifungal arsenal against fungal pathogens. In this research topic, we tried to update the theoretical aspects pertaining to the antifungal drug discovery i.e. proposed novel mechanisms, new drug targets and pathways. In addition, invited authors explored the new antifungal drugs derived from natural and synthetic sources which are currently under development. Contributors were encouraged to bring new insight into the antifungal drug discovery. We hope the reader may arrive at a general consensus on the possible strategies to combat ever increasing ubiquitous fungal infection in this new century.

Invasive fungal diseases have increased many fold over the past 50 years. Current treatment regimens typically require prolonged administration of antifungal medications that can have significant toxicity. Moreover, our present potent antifungal armamentarium fails to eradicate fungal pathogens from certain compromised hosts. Additionally, invasive fungal diseases continue to have unacceptably high mortality rates. A growing body of work has focused on the utility of vaccines and/or immunotherapy as a powerful tool in combating mycoses, either for the active treatment, as an adjuvant, or in the prevention of specific fungal pathogens. Also, it is growing the interest over new drugs development as second choice for treatment when traditional chemotherapy fail. This Research Topic will detail the exciting progress in developing vaccines, immunotherapy and new drugs for fungi.

Fungi are eukaryotic microorganisms that are closely related to humans at cellular level. Human fungal pathogens belong to various classes of fungi, mainly zygo- cetes, ascomycetes, basidiomycetes, and deuteromycetes. In recent years, fungal infections have dramatically increased as a result of improved diagnosis, high frequency of catheterization, instrumentation, etc. However, the main cause remains the increasing number of immunosuppressed patients, mostly because of HIV infection and indiscriminate usage of antineoplastic and immunosuppressive agents, broad-spectrum antibiotics and prosthetic devices, and grafts in clinical settings. Presently available means of combating fungal infections are still weak and clumsy compared to control of bacterial infection. The present scenario of antifungal therapy is still based on two classes of antifungal drugs (polyenes and azoles). These drugs are effective in many cases, but display toxicity and limited spectrum of ef?cacy. The recent trend towards emergence of drug-resistant isolates in the clinic is an additional problem. In recent years, a few new antifungal drugs have entered the clinics, but they are expected to undergo same fate as the older antifungal drugs. The application of fungal genomics offers an unparalleled opportunity to develop novel antifungal drugs. However, it is too early to expect any novel drugs, as the antifungal drug discovery program is in the stage of infancy. Interestingly, several novel antifungal drug targets have been identi?ed and validated.