Fungi are eukaryotic microorganisms that are closely related to humans at cellular
level. Human fungal pathogens belong to various classes of fungi, mainly zygomy-
cetes, ascomycetes, basidiomycetes, and deuteromycetes. In recent years, fungal
infections have dramatically increased as a result of improved diagnosis, high
frequency of catheterization, instrumentation, etc. However, the main cause
remains the increasing number of immunosuppressed patients, mostly because of
HIV infection and indiscriminate usage of antineoplastic and immunosuppressive
agents, broad-spectrum antibiotics and prosthetic devices, and grafts in clinical
settings. Presently available means of combating fungal infections are still weak
and clumsy compared to control of bacterial infection. The present scenario of
antifungal therapy is still based on two classes of antifungal drugs (polyenes and
azoles).These drugs are effective in many cases, but display toxicity and limited
spectrum of efficacy. The recent trend towards emergence of drug-resistant isolates
in the clinic is an additional problem. In recent years, a few new antifungal drugs
have entered the clinics, but they are expected to undergo same fate as the older
antifungal drugs.
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