Antifungal agents

Abstract Although invasive fungal infections lead to significant morbidity and mortality, there remain limited numbers of antifungal drugs available to treat these infections. This chapter describes and discusses the therapeutic antifungal agent classes currently available clinically to treat invasive fungal infections. These include the polyenes, azoles, echinocandins, and flucytosine (5-fluorocytosine). For each drug class, those currently used clinically are listed and their modes of action described. The effectiveness of drugs against different fungal species is explored and any drawbacks to the use of each drug are discussed. Drug formulations and indications for the use of each antifungal agent are also detailed.