Pneumocystis carinii: a fungus resistant to antifungal therapies - mechanisms of action of antipneumocystis drugs.
Pneumocystis carinii is a pathogen that causes a potentially lethal pneumonia in patients with AIDS and other immunodeficiency states. This review discusses the mechanisms of action of four classes of antipneumocystis agents: inhibitors of ergosterol synthesis and function, 1,3-beta-glucan synthase inhibitors, antifolates and DNA binding agents. Investigations of P. carinii's biologic pathways affected by the antipneumocystis actions of each of these classes of agents has generated important insights into the organism's basic biology and supports the organism's classification as a fungus. In addition, this review discusses some recent P. carinii research and its potential impact on drug development.
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Critical Care Medicine Department, Clinical Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA. drussian@nih.gov
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