Why are fungal infections on the rise? - Times of India

Q: A new drug-resistant fungal infection has resulted in the death of two patients at AIIMS, Delhi. There are reports of newer varieties of fungi as well as known varieties such as Candida Auris and Candida Haemulonii becoming resistant to drugs. What is causing this?

A. Hospital-acquired fungal infections, particularly the drug-resistant forms, may be caused predominantly by the indiscriminate use of drugs that act against some selective fungi (narrow spectrum). Fungi are inherently equipped to resist drug action. This phenomenon is called drug resistance. Now there are emerging infections that are resistant to multiple drugs from a very small kitty of options.
Yet another factor for the rise of resistant forms of infections is the choice between a drug that simply stops the growth of fungi versus a drug that kills the fungi. These drugs are called fungistatic and fungicidal, respectively. Amphotericin B which has been in use for more than 60 years and is the gold standard drug — it works against a wide range of commonly occurring fungal infections (broad-spectrum) — kills the fungi (Cidal) and causes minimal drug resistance. The only problem with Amphotericin B is the overwhelming toxicity to kidneys, which is resolved by innovative Liposomal Amphotericin B in saline preparation.
In recent reports, this novel drug is shown to be effective against drug-resistant C.auris and C.haemulonii. Appropriate Amphotericin B formulation given at proven therapeutic dose can help prevent the occurrence and spread of multi-drug resistant (MDR) fungal infections.