Antifungal drug

An antifungal drug is a medicine that treats fungal infections by inhibiting fungal growth or killing fungal cells. Its targets include fungal membranes, cell walls, and nucleic-acid synthesis.

Ergosterol: A sterol that stabilizes fungal cell membranes and helps regulate their function. Many antifungal drugs disrupt ergosterol or its production to weaken fungal membranes.
Invasive candidiasis: A serious infection in which Candida species enter the bloodstream or other normally sterile sites. Echinocandins are often initial treatment for candidemia in many adults.
Antibacterial drug: A medicine that inhibits or kills bacteria to treat bacterial infections. Fungi are eukaryotes, so antifungal drugs face different targets and toxicity constraints than antibacterial drugs.
Fungus: A eukaryotic organism belonging to a kingdom that includes yeasts, molds, and mushrooms. Antifungal drugs act against organisms whose cell biology differs substantially from bacteria.
Azole antifungal: A class of antifungal drugs that inhibits fungal ergosterol synthesis. Azoles impair a membrane-building pathway by blocking lanosterol 14α-demethylase.
Cryptococcal meningitis: A fungal infection of the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord, usually caused by Cryptococcus species. Treatment commonly combines amphotericin B and flucytosine during induction therapy.
Antiviral drug: A medicine that suppresses viral replication or infection. Antivirals target viral processes rather than the cellular structures targeted by many antifungals.
Fungal infection: A disease caused by fungi growing in or on a host. The infection’s location and severity help determine which antifungal medicine is suitable.
Polyenes: Antifungal compounds that bind ergosterol and disrupt fungal cell membranes. Amphotericin B and nystatin kill fungi by forming membrane pores.
Aspergillosis: A group of diseases caused by fungi in the genus Aspergillus. Voriconazole is a standard first-line treatment for invasive aspergillosis.

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