Antifungal therapy with an emphasis on biofilms

• Fungal infections affect an expanding population of immunosuppressed patients.
• The current arsenal of antifungal drugs is exceedingly limited.
• Toxicity problems and resistance limit the efficacy of current antifungals.
• Formation of fungal biofilms further complicates antifungal treatment.
• There is an urgent need to devise strategies to overcome biofilm drug resistance.

Fungal infections are on the rise as advances in modern medicine prolong the lives of severely ill patients. Fungi are eukaryotic organisms and there are a limited number of targets for antifungal drug development; as a result the antifungal arsenal is exceedingly limited. Azoles, polyenes and echinocandins constitute the mainstay of antifungal therapy for patients with life-threatening mycoses. One of the main factors complicating antifungal therapy is the formation of fungal biofilms, microbial communities displaying resistance to most antifungal agents. A better understanding of fungal biofilms provides for new opportunities for the development of urgently needed novel antifungal agents and strategies.