The challenge of invasive fungal infection

Systemic fungal infections cause almost 25% of the infection-related deaths in leukaemic patients. Particularly those with prolonged neutropenia are a t risk but mycoses also feature in critically ill intensive care patients a nd in individuals who are treated for solid tumours and AIDS, or who receiv ed an organ transplant. The spread of AIDS and the more aggressive cytotoxi c chemotherapy in combination with an improved management of haemorrhages a nd bacterial infections in leukaemic and other cancer patients facilitated the occurrence of these invasive fungal infections. These life-threatening complications remain both difficult to diagnose and to treat and therefore carry a poor prognosis. For many years, the only realistic option to treat systemic infections was amphotericin B, whose administration was known to b e associated with numerous adverse effects. Now less toxic formulations of amphotericin have become available for clinical use, as well as several new triazoles that appear to provide an effective and less toxic alternative f or the treatment of certain fungal infections.