Antifungal agents

Abstract

As long ago as 1665 thrush was recorded as being a fatal disease; this was at a time when Robert Hooke was describing for the first time the microscopic appearance of fungi [1]. While the knowledge of microorganisms, infectious disease processes and their treatment has increased enormously since this time, fungal diseases and antifungal agents have received less attention than the causes and cures of diseases due to their more virulent counterparts, the bacteria and viruses. Fungi are the more insidious pathogens; since they are eucaryotic, there are fewer structural and metabolic differences between fungal and animal cells which can be exploited by antifungal chemotherapy. Fungal diseases vary greatly in severity, ranging from the potentially fatal systemic infections, such as torulosis and aspergillosis, to the cosmetically unpleasant but considerably less serious fungal infections of the skin, nails and hair shafts. There is obviously a great need for fast effective antifungal therapy for the systemic mycotic diseases, while many of the superficial infections will disappear spontaneously and may require no treatment. Interest in mycoses and antimycotic drugs has increased for a variety of reasons. Firstly, the incidence of fungal infections has increased chiefly due to iatrogenic causes, including the employment of broad-spectrum antibiotics, steroids, immunosuppressive and cytotoxic drugs, which have provided ideal conditions for growth, multiplication and spread of opportunistic fungal pathogens.KeywordsAntifungal ActivityCandida AlbicansAntifungal AgentTinea CapitisTinea PedisThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.