antibioticsbooks

chapter 28 Antifungal Antimetabolites 177
• Flucytosine is commonly abbreviated as 5-FC,
but this practice should be avoided because
it can be confused with the related 5-FU
( fluorouracil), which is considerably more toxic.
What It’s Good For
As stated above, most flucytosine use is in combination
with an amphotericin B formulation for
treatment of cryptococcal meningitis. This combination
may also be used to treat other forms of
cryptococcal infection and, uncommonly, to treat
Candida infection. It may be an acceptable option
for the clearance of candiduria in patients who cannot
receive fluconazole because of allergy or resistance,
but the number of patients who require this
therapy is small.
Don’t Forget!
Follow your patient’s cell counts closely and
consider dose modification or discontinuation if
hematologic toxicity develops.