Although there are an increasing number of new antifungal agents available, the morbidity and mortality due to invasive mycoses remain high. The high rates of polyene toxicities and the development of azole resistance have raised the issue of using antifungal agents of these classes in combination, despite theoretical concerns regarding antagonism between such agents. This study was designed to...

BACKGROUND Caspofungin is an echinocandin agent with fungicidal activity against Candida species. OBJECTIVE To assess the efficacy, safety and tolerability of caspofungin relative to amphotericin B in neonates with invasive candidiasis. PATIENTS AND METHODS Thirty-two neonates with invasive candidiasis were randomly assigned to receive either caspofungin (n = 15) or amphotericin B (n = 17)....

The interactions of amphotericin B and itraconazole were studied in murine invasive candidiasis. Candida albicans-infected mice were treated for 10 consecutive days, 24 h after infection. Survival was monitored over 30 days and kidney cultures were done. Mice treated with amphotericin B (0.2 mg/kg/day intraperitoneally) or itraconazole (100 mg/kg/day by oral gavage in two divided doses/ day) ha...

The efficacy of intravitreally administered amphotericin B was evaluated. Experimental fungal infections were produced by inoculation of Candida albicans organisms into the vitreous cavities of 46 rabbit eyes. After 72 hr, eight eyes received intravitreal injections of 10 micrograms of free amphotericin B; and ten eyes each received 10 micrograms, 20 micrograms, and 40 micrograms of liposome-bo...

Amphotericin B is the most effective agent for the majority of systemic fungal infections but often causes toxicity, and specific dosage guidelines for amphotericin B in pediatric patients are lacking. The purpose of this study was to characterize the pharmacokinetics of amphotericin B in children. Twelve patients (mean age, 6.6 years; range, 4 months to 14 years) receiving amphotericin B, 0.68...

Amphotericin B and N-D-ornithyl amphotericin B methyl ester were compared for therapeutic efficacies against experimentally induced cryptococcal meningitis and Candida albicans endocarditis with pyelonephritis in rabbits. Antifungal activity of the two polyenes in vitro was similar for the yeasts used in these experiments. N-D-ornithyl amphotericin B methyl ester gave a slightly higher concentr...

Two clonal lines of rat hepatoma cells, in tissue culture, that have steroid-inducible tyrosine aminotransferase (TAT) activities were shown to have different responses to amphotericin B. One of the cell lines (HTC) was relatively resistant to the growth-inhibiting effects of amphotericin B and demonstrated an inhibition of only its steroid-inducible TAT activity when exposed to the antifungal ...

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 ex...