Pharmacological advances in the treatment of invasive candidiasis

Abstract

Invasive candidiasis is a common nosocomial infection, especially among the critically ill and immunocompromised patient populations. The recent standardization and increasing availability of antifungal susceptibility testing has the potential to optimize the selection of antifungal therapy. Treatment has been revolutionized in recent years with the marketing of several antifungal agents with excellent activity against Candida spp. These agents include the triazoles, fluconazole and voriconazole, and the echinocandin antifungals. While more expensive by acquisition cost, these newer agents are less toxic than the previously used drugs, and the triazoles offer the additional benefit of oral administration. The availability of new agents, future adoption of diagnostic tests for candidiasis, and susceptibility testing will have a major impact in the management of invasive candidiasis.

Keywords::

• caspofungin
• invasive candidiasis
• non-albicans species
• resistance testing
• voriconazole