Inhibition of Fungal Biofilms - Antibiofilm Agents: From Diagnosis to Treatment and Prevention - page 265

Inhibition of Fungal Biofilms
Christopher G. Pierce, Anand Srinivasan, Priya Uppuluri,
Anand K. Ramasubramanian, and Jos´ L. L´pez-Ribot
Abstract Fungal infections constitute a major threat for an expanding population
of immunosuppressed patients, as these infections carry unacceptably high mor-
bidity and mortality rates due to, among other reasons, the limited arsenal of
antifungal agents. One of the main factors complicating antifungal therapy is the
formation of fungal biofilms, resulting in frank resistance to most antifungal drugs,
which is multifactorial in nature. Although Candida albicans remains the most
frequent etiologic agent of fungal biofilm infections, there is an increased recogni-
tion that infections caused by other yeasts and filamentous fungi are also associated
with the formation of biofilms, both on biomedical devices and host tissues. During
the last decade an increasing number of studies have begun to uncover the driving
forces behind the formation of fungal biofilms and the molecular basis of biofilm
resistance; together with new powerful technologies, they may pave the road for the
development of newer therapeutics for the prevention and treatment of these
recalcitrant infections.