[In vitro antifungal activity of micafungin].
BACKGROUND
Micafungin is a new and very useful pharmacological tool for the treatment of invasive mycoses with a wide antifungal spectrum for the most common pathogenic fungi. Micafungin is especially active against the genera Candida and Aspergillus. Its antifungal mechanism is based on the inhibition of the beta-1,3- D-glucan synthesis, an essential molecule for the cell wall architecture, with different con sequences for Candida and Aspergillus, being micafungin fungicide for the former and fungistatic for the latter.


OBJECTIVE
To describe the in vitro antifungal spectrum of micafungin based in the scientific and medical lite rature of recent years.


METHODS
We have done a bibliographic retrieval using the scientific terms, "micafungin", "activity", "Candida", "Aspergillus", "fungi", "mycos*", "susceptibility", in PubMed/Medline from the National Library of Medicine de EE.UU. from 2005 to 2009.


RESULTS
We can underline that most than 99% of Candida isolates are susceptible to < or = 2microg/ml of micafungin. MIC are very low (< or = 0.125microg/ml) for most clinical isolates of the species Candida albicans, Candida glabrata, Candida tropicalis and Candida krusei while Candida parapsilosis and Candida guilliermondii isolates are susceptible to anidulafungin concentrations < or = 2microg/ml. The activity of micafungin is excellent against those medical important species of Aspergillus. However, its activity is very low against Cryptococcus and the Zygomycetes.


CONCLUSIONS
The excellent activity of micafungin has made this antifungal a first line therapeutic indication for candidemia and invasive candidiasis in non-neutropenic patients.
Quindós
Guillermo
G
Departamento de Inmunología, Microbiología y Parasitología, Facultad de Medicina y Odontología, Universidad del País Vasco-Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea, Bilbao, Vizcaya, España. guillermo.quindos@ehu.es
Eraso
Elena
E
Javier Carrillo-Muñoz
Alfonso
A
Cantón
Emilia
E
Pemán
Javier
J
D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001230:Aspergillus / Q000187:drug effects; D002175:Candida / Q000187:drug effects; D003454:Cryptococcus / Q000187:drug effects; D004353:Drug Evaluation, Preclinical; D025141:Drug Resistance, Fungal; D004357:Drug Synergism; D054714:Echinocandins / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005658:Fungi / Q000187:drug effects*; D006801:Humans; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D055666:Lipopeptides / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000077551:Micafungin; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D009181:Mycoses / Q000188:drug therapy; D013045:Species Specificity
D000935:Antifungal Agents; D054714:Echinocandins; D055666:Lipopeptides; D000077551:Micafungin