antibioticsbooks

Antifungal Drugs
26
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Introduction to Antifungal Drugs
Fungi rule their own kingdom. There are possibly
millions of species of these saprophytic and parasitic
organisms, but, as with bacteria, only a small
minority are pathogens. Most pathogenic fungi
are opportunistic and require a compromised host
or disrupted barrier in order to cause infection in
humans. In a way, the increase of systemic fungal
infections can be seen as a medical advance, because
improvements in transplantation, oncology, rheumatology,
neonatology, geriatrics, and other fields
have created more susceptible hosts for fungi. The
practice of medical mycology has expanded greatly.
Microscopic fungi exist in two basic forms:
yeasts and molds. Table 26–1 highlights some of
the medically important fungi. Yeasts are unicellular
forms of fungi that reproduce by budding.
Table 26–1
Common Clinical Fungi
Yeasts Dimorphic Fungi Molds
Candida Histoplasma Aspergillus
Cryptococcus Blastomyces Fusarium
Coccidioides
Scedosporium
Paracoccidioides Zygomycetes