Treatment of fungal infections of the central nervous system

Abstract

The recent development of new antifungal antimicrobials that can be administered in combination with amphotericin B or as alternatives to it has expanded the dimensions of treatment for fungal infections of the central nervous system. These disorders have acquired increasing importance as patients with malignant and other illnesses associated with immunosuppression survive longer and as renal transplantation is more widely applied. Amphotericin B has remained the most effective therapeutic preparation for most types of neurological fungal disease, although important roles for 5-fluorocytosine, miconazole, and, more recently, ketoconazole are being recognized.