TY - JOUR
T1 - Fungal Infections, Treatment and Antifungal Resistance
T2 - The Sub-Saharan African Context
AU - Boakye-Yiadom, Emily
AU - Odoom, Alex
AU - Osman, Abdul Halim
AU - Ntim, Onyansaniba K.
AU - Kotey, Fleischer C.N.
AU - Ocansey, Bright K.
AU - Donkor, Eric S.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s), 2024.
PY - 2024/1/1
Y1 - 2024/1/1
N2 - Fungal pathogens cause a wide range of infections in humans, from superficial to disfiguring, allergic syndromes, and life-threatening invasive infections, affecting over a billion individuals globally. With an estimated 1.5 million deaths annually attributable to them, fungal pathogens are a major cause of mortality in humans, especially people with underlying immunosuppression. The continuous increase in the population of individuals at risk of fungal infections in sub-Saharan Africa, such as HIV patients, tuberculosis patients, intensive care patients, patients with haematological malignancies, transplant (haematopoietic stem cell and organ) recipients and the growing global threat of multidrug-resistant fungal strains, raise the need for an appreciation of the region’s perspective on antifungal usage and resistance. In addition, the unavailability of recently introduced novel antifungal drugs in sub-Saharan Africa further calls for regular evaluation of resistance to antifungal agents in these settings. This is critical for ensuring appropriate and optimal use of the limited available arsenal to minimise antifungal resistance. This review, therefore, elaborates on the multifaceted nature of fungal resistance to the available antifungal drugs on the market and further provides insights into the prevalence of fungal infections and the use of antifungal agents in sub-Saharan Africa.
AB - Fungal pathogens cause a wide range of infections in humans, from superficial to disfiguring, allergic syndromes, and life-threatening invasive infections, affecting over a billion individuals globally. With an estimated 1.5 million deaths annually attributable to them, fungal pathogens are a major cause of mortality in humans, especially people with underlying immunosuppression. The continuous increase in the population of individuals at risk of fungal infections in sub-Saharan Africa, such as HIV patients, tuberculosis patients, intensive care patients, patients with haematological malignancies, transplant (haematopoietic stem cell and organ) recipients and the growing global threat of multidrug-resistant fungal strains, raise the need for an appreciation of the region’s perspective on antifungal usage and resistance. In addition, the unavailability of recently introduced novel antifungal drugs in sub-Saharan Africa further calls for regular evaluation of resistance to antifungal agents in these settings. This is critical for ensuring appropriate and optimal use of the limited available arsenal to minimise antifungal resistance. This review, therefore, elaborates on the multifaceted nature of fungal resistance to the available antifungal drugs on the market and further provides insights into the prevalence of fungal infections and the use of antifungal agents in sub-Saharan Africa.
KW - Antifungal agents
KW - antifungal resistance
KW - fungal pathogens
KW - prevalence
KW - sub-Saharan Africa
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85209365110&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1177/20499361241297525
DO - 10.1177/20499361241297525
M3 - Review article
AN - SCOPUS:85209365110
SN - 2049-9361
VL - 11
JO - Therapeutic Advances in Infectious Disease
JF - Therapeutic Advances in Infectious Disease
ER -