Antifungal Drugs for the Treatment of Invasive Fungal Infections-A Limited Therapeutic Toolbox Facing Growing Resistances
Abstract
Invasive fungal infections (IFIs) are one of the most significant public health challenges worldwide. Yet, research and communication thereof were left behind for a long time, until the WHO published a priority pathogens list to guide research, development, and public health action in October 2022. Indeed, due to the rising number of immunocompromised patients at risk and the high level of morbidity, mortality, and economic burden they entail, especially in low- and middle-income countries, IFIs are a serious public health threat. Fungal infections due to dimorphic fungi face additional challenges such as limited knowledge outside of endemic areas and restricted availability of antifungal molecules in areas affected by these infections. The number of related deaths per year is estimated at 2.5 million, but non-governmental organisations make a wider estimation, due to the difficulties in early in vitro diagnostic and troublesome collection and analysis of epidemiological data. Despite this fact, the therapeutic toolbox addressing these infections remains limited, with only four main families of molecules available so far. The antifungal therapeutic supply is composed of very toxic polyenes, the weakly selective and nearly unused 5-fluorocytosine, and azoles, some of which are becoming increasingly inefficient against IFIs. In the 2000-2020s, the fourth arising family consisted of safer semisynthetic echinocandins. Unfortunately, nowadays, more and more fungal isolates…
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