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. 2010 Winter;21(4):e116-21.
doi: 10.1155/2010/784549.

Antifungal agents for the treatment of systemic fungal infections in children

Ud Allen

Antifungal agents for the treatment of systemic fungal infections in children

Ud Allen. Can J Infect Dis Med Microbiol. 2010 Winter.

Abstract
in English, French

Traditionally, the mainstay of systemic antifungal therapy has been amphotericin B deoxycholate (conventional amphotericin B). Newer agents have been developed to fulfill special niches and to compete with conventional amphotericin B by virtue of having more favourable toxicity profiles. Some agents have displaced conventional amphotericin B for the treatment of specific fungal diseases. For example, voriconazole has emerged as the preferred treatment for invasive pulmonary aspergillosis. This notwithstanding, conventional amphotericin B remains a useful agent for the treatment of paediatric fungal infections. Knowledge of the characteristics of the newer agents is important, given the increasing numbers of patients who are being treated with these drugs. Efforts need to be directed at research aimed at generating paediatric data where these are lacking. The antifungal agents herein described are most often used as monotherapy regimens because there is no uniform consensus on the value of combination therapy, except for specific scenarios.

Le désoxycholate d’amphotéricine B (amphotéricine B classique) a toujours été la principale thérapie antifongique systémique. Les agents plus récents ont été mis au point pour occuper des créneaux spéciaux et pour faire concurrence à l’amphotéricine B classique grâce à des profils de toxicité plus favorables. Certains agents ont fait reculer l’amphotéricine B classique pour traiter des maladies fongiques précises. Par exemple, le voriconazole émerge comme traitement de choix contre l’aspergillose pulmonaire envahissante. Malgré tout, l’amphotéricine B classique demeure un agent utile pour traiter les infections fongiques en pédiatrie. Il faut connaître les caractéristiques des nouveaux agents étant donné le nombre croissant de patients traités à l’aide de ces médicaments. Il faut également orienter les efforts vers des recherches visant à obtenir des données pédiatriques dans les secteurs où on n’en possède pas. Les antifongiques décrits dans le présent commentaire sont surtout utilisés en monothérapie, parce qu’il n’existe pas de consensus uniforme sur la valeur d’une polythérapie, sauf dans des scénarios précis.

Keywords: Amphotericin B; Antifungal therapy; Echinocandins; Triazoles.

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