title: Invasive candidiasis: update on current pharmacotherapy options and future perspectives.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Invasive candidiasis (IC), mainly candidemia, is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality among immunocompromised patients and those admitted to intensive care units. Despite the recognition of risk factors and advances in disease prevention, Candida-related hospitalizations and mortality continue to rise. For treatment, four classes of older and newer antifungal agents are currently available. Adjunctive immunotherapies and a monoclonal antibody against heat shock protein 90 (efungumab) are promising novel therapeutic approaches.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this article, approaches and therapeutic agents for candidemia and other forms of IC are reviewed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The thorough understanding of the available antifungal agents in combination with the increasing knowledge of the mechanisms that underlie the pathogenesis of Candida infections and the development of newer approaches such as efungumab and immunotherapy with adjunctive cytokines may improve the prognosis of patients with life-threatening invasive Candida infections.
authors.affiliation: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, AHEPA Hospital, 2nd Pediatric Department, Hematology Oncology Unit, Thessaloniki, Greece.
authors.forename: Athanasios
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tragiannidis
authors.forename: Christos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tsoulas
authors.forename: Kornelius
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kerl
authors.forename: Andreas H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Groll
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000627:therapeutic use; D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized; D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D058365:Candidiasis, Invasive / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D007167:Immunotherapy
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized; D000935:Antifungal Agents; C512268:efungumab