Increasing fungal infections in the intensive care unit.

BACKGROUND: Yeasts and molds now rank among the most common pathogens in intensive care units. Whereas the incidence of Candida infections peaked in the late 1970s, aspergillosis is still increasing. METHOD: Review of the pertinent English-language literature. RESULTS: Most factors promoting an invasive fungal infection are difficult to avoid because they are connected directly to treatment of the underlying disease. Antifungal treatment is often commenced on an empiric basis, whereas it might be preferable to adopt a strategy based on a diagnostic procedure able to demonstrate or exclude fungal disease. Polyenes have been the drugs of choice, but voriconazole is the new standard for aspergillosis. For invasive candidiasis, fluconazole is a more convenient option, with the new echinocandins or voriconazole as alternatives. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of invasive fungal infection is increasing, but so too are the choices of agents for therapy. For reasons of efficacy and safety, therapy with an echinocandin or azole antifungal agent is supplanting the use of polyenes