The echinocandins: three useful choices or three too many?

A.M. Bal (1)

1 Department of Medical Microbiology

Echinocandins act by inhibiting 1,3-β--glucan synthesis in the fungal cell wall. The three licensed agents in this class, namely anidulafungin, caspofungin and micafungin, have a favourable pharmacological profile. These agents are narrow spectrum with clinically relevant activity against and spp. Several trials have established the non-inferiority of these agents over existing agents in the treatment of invasive fungal infections. Caspofungin is also licensed for empirical antifungal therapy of presumed fungal infections in patients with febrile neutropenia. This paper reviews the literature on echinocandins.

Mots clés: Anidulafungin; Antifungal prophylaxis; Candidaemia; Caspofungin; Febrile neutropenia; Invasive aspergillosis; Micafungin; Oesophageal candidiasis

A.M. Bal. The echinocandins: three useful choices or three too many?. International Journal of Antimicrobial Agents, 2009, 35 (1), pp.13. ⟨10.1016/j.ijantimicag.2009.09.011⟩. ⟨hal-00556367⟩