Candidiasis is an opportunistic mycoses. It is a fungal infection caused by the yeast genus Candida.Several species of the yeast Candida are capable of causing candidiasis (Brookset al., 2013). Thegenusis composedof organisms such as Candidaalbicans(common cause of candidiasis), Candidaglabrata, Candidaparapsilosis,Candida balanitis, Candida guilliermondii,andCandidakrusei (Pfalleretal.,2007). Candidaspecies belong to the normalmicrobiotaofanindividual’s mucosal oralcavity, gastrointestinal tract andvagina (Shaoetal.,2007),andare manifested by mucocutaneous lesions, fungemia, and sometimes focal infection of multiple sites.Symptoms depend on the site of infection and include dysphagia, skin and mucosal lesions, blindness, vaginal symptoms (itching, burning, discharge), fever, shock, oliguria, renal shutdown, and disseminated intravascular coagulation. Diagnosis is done by histopathology and cultures from normally sterile sites.
Conventional antifungal drugs are drugs widely accepted to fight fungal organisms causing infection and diseases in humans. In the United States, only ten (10) antifungal drugs are currently approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the therapy of systemic fungal infections (William, 2000). Conventional antifungal drugs used in the treatment of candidiasis belongto three (3) principal classes: polyenes (amphotericin B), echinocandins(caspofungin, anidulafungin and micafungin) and azoles (fluconazole, voriconazole, posaconazole).Candida species are susceptible, less susceptible or resistant to these antifungal drugs. For instance, some C. glabrataisolates are resistant to fluconazole and allC. krusei isolates are resistant to fluconazole.
The purpose of this presentation is to educate on the widely accepted antifungal drugs for the treatment of candididiasis in different locations of the human body, the Candida species’ susceptibility and resistance to the drugs, and administration of the drugs.