New Hope For Immunocompromised Individuals With Drug-resistant Fungal Infections
Monday, February 9, 2009 - 23:14
in Health & Medicine
Even the most drug-resistant fungi can be eradicated in multiple in vitro and in vivo models using a lethal combination of an antifungal agent and inhibition of a specific heat shock protein (Hsp90). Such findings could point to a novel approach for the development of future antifungal therapies for patients with compromised immune systems. Immunocompromised individuals -- including HIV, chemotherapy, and organ transfer patients -- with drug-resistant fungal infections suffer mortality rates ranging from 50 to 90 percent.