Fungal infections: Pathogenesis, antifungals and alternate treatment approaches

Increasing incidence of fungal infections of recent times requires immediate intervention. Fungal infections are seldom construed at initial stages that intensify the severity of infections and complicate the treatment procedures. Fungal pathogens employ various mechanisms to evade the host immune system and to progress the severity of infections. For the treatment of diverse superficial and systemic infections, antifungal drugs from the available repertoire are administered. However, well documented evidence of fungal resistance to most of the antifungal drugs hampers disease control and poses challenges in antifungal therapy. Several physiological adaptations and genetic mutations followed by their selection in presence of antifungal agents drive the resistance development in fungi. The availability of limited antifungal arsenal, emergence of resistance and biofilm-conferred resistance drives the need for development of novel drugs and alternate approaches for the better treatment outcome against mycoses. This graphical review explicitly shed light on various fungal infections and causative organisms, pathogenesis, different antifungal drugs and resistance mechanisms including host immune response and evasion strategies. Here, we have highlighted recent developments on novel antifungal agents and other alternate approaches for fighting against fungal infections.

Automated summary

This article discusses the increasing incidence of fungal infections, the problem of antifungal drug resistance, and the development of novel drugs and approaches to fight against fungal infections.