Special Issue: Novel Antifungal Drug Discovery.

Maurizio Del Poeta

doi:10.3390/jof2040033

Abstract

This Special Issue is designed to highlight the latest research and development on new antifungal compounds with mechanisms of action different from the ones of polyenes, azoles, and echinocandins. The papers presented here highlight new pathways and targets that could be exploited for the future development of new antifungal agents to be used alone or in combination with existing antifungals. A computational model for better predicting antifungal drug resistance is also presented.

Highlights

This Special Issue is designed to highlight the latest research and development on new antifungal compounds with mechanisms of action different from the ones of polyenes, azoles, and echinocandins
Pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP) remains the most prevalent opportunistic infection in patients infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
The main missions of these programs are to reduce illness and death associated with fungal diseases worldwide and to educate health professionals around the world on the high morbidity and mortality of invasive fungal infections [16]

Summary

Introduction

This Special Issue is designed to highlight the latest research and development on new antifungal compounds with mechanisms of action different from the ones of polyenes, azoles, and echinocandins. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that more than one million new cases per year of cryptococcosis will occur worldwide in patients with AIDS, and ~600,000 will die from the infection [6]. Another invasive fungal infection, disseminated aspergillosis, is steadily increasing in immunocompromised patients [12,13,14,15] with a mortality rate of 40%–90% [2], resulting in an estimate of 450,000 deaths/year, according to the Leading International Fungal Education (LIFE) [11].

Results

Conclusion