title: Antifungal combinations.
abstract: The increase in fungal infections and the change in fungal epidemiology is caused by the extensive use of antifungal agents to treat fungal infections that are being diagnosed in severly immunocompromised hosts. In addition, opportunistic fungal infections resistant to antifungal drugs have become increasingly common, and the armamentarium for treatment remains limited. A possible approach to overcoming these problems is to combine antifungal drugs, especially if the mechanisms of action are different. The in vitro test is the first step to evaluate possible antifungal combinations. In this chapter, the three most frequently used metholodologies are described: checkerboard, E-test, and time-kill curves. The description of each technique and intrepretaion of the results are addressed in detail.
authors.affiliation: Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientifícas y Tecnológocas and Departmento de Micología, Instituto Nacional de Engermedades Infecciosas, Dr Carlos Malbrán Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors.forename: Roxana G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Vitale
authors.forename: Javier
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Afeltra
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Dannaoui
mesh_terms: D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D004353:Drug Evaluation, Preclinical / Q000379:methods; D004347:Drug Interactions; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005658:Fungi / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006801:Humans; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests / Q000379:methods*; D009181:Mycoses / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology
chemical_list: D000935:Antifungal Agents