Series Fungal Infections 5 the Global Problem of Antifungal Resistance
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Series Fungal infections 5 The global problem of antifungal resistance: prevalence, mechanisms, and management David S Perlin, Riina Rautemaa-Richardson, Ana Alastruey-Izquierdo All serious fungal infections need appropriate antifungal therapy for successful patient outcome. Only a few classes Lancet Infect Dis 2017 of antifungal drugs are available, so the emergence of resistance to single drug classes and now multidrug resistance This is the fifth in a Series of greatly hampers patient management. Azole resistance among Candida and Aspergillus species is one of the greatest eight papers about fungal challenges to clinical success, followed by echinocandin and multidrug resistance among some Candida species, infections especially Candida glabrata. The spread of agriculturally derived azole-resistant Aspergillus fumigatus and emerging Published Online July 31, 2017 threats such as multidrug resistant Candida auris are also alarming. The molecular mechanisms that cause drug http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/ resistance are naturally occurring in less susceptible species and are acquired in strains of susceptible organisms. S1473-3099(17)30316-X Drug resistance mechanisms include altered drug-target interactions, reduced cellular drug concentrations mediated See Online/Series by drug efflux transporters, and permeability barriers associated with biofilms. Although C auris is inherently http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/ multidrug resistant, other strains typically develop resistance through stepwise selection of multiple drug-resistance S1473-3099(17)30303-1, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/ mechanisms. Cellular stress induced by drug treatment promotes adaptation, which contributes to breakthrough S1473-3099(17)30304-3, resistance. Drug exposure also drives the emergence of resistance. An effective antifungal stewardship programme is http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/ essential to control drug resistance, and should incorporate rapid fungal diagnostics, therapeutic drug monitoring, S1473-3099(17)30309-2, and clinical intervention teams. The development of better diagnostic tools and strategies that allow targeted use of http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/ S1473-3099(17)30306-7, antifungals is essential to preserve drug effectiveness. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/ S1473-3099(17)30442-5, Introduction Factors driving emergence of antifungal http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/ Fungal pathogens cause life-threatening invasive resistance S1473-3099(17)30443-7, and http://dx.doi.org/10.1016 diseases (eg, fungaemia, meningitis, pneumonia), severe Therapeutic failure occurs when a patient either fails to S1473-3099(17)30308-0 chronic conditions (eg, chronic pulmonary aspergillosis, respond or no longer responds to a drug administered at See Online/Comment allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis), and complex a standard dose. Various host, drug, and microbial http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/ chronic respiratory conditions (eg, asthma, chronic factors contribute to such failures—eg, patients with a S1473-3099(17)30319-5 obstructive pulmonary disease). These pathogens also compromised immune system are more likely to fail to cause recurrent infections, such as oral and vaginal respond to therapy because the antifungal drug is candidiasis. Many invasive fungal infections (IFIs) are a consequence of underlying health conditions associated with immunosuppression.1 Generally, these infections Key messages are associated with high mortality, and successful clinical • Antifungal drug resistance can occur with all drug classes, and involves acquired outcome requires early diagnosis and effective antifungal resistance in susceptible strains and selection of inherently less susceptible species therapy. Yet, antifungal options are few, with chemical • Azole resistance is primarily caused by target modification in Aspergillus species, classes for invasive disease treatment limited to azoles, and by overexpression of drug efflux pumps and modification of the drug target in 2 echinocandins, polyenes, and flucytosine. Candida species Over the past decade, the development of less toxic • Agricultural fungicides drive acquired drug resistance in Aspergillus species, and these drugs, which can be applied safely in a range of patients resistant strains are spreading globally with various conditions, has contributed to the expansion • Candida glabrata can acquire resistance to azoles and echinocandins as single drug of antifungal use for prophylaxis, and empirical and classes, as well as multidrug resistance involving all major drug classes directed therapy, which has in turn led to increased drug • Echinocandin resistance is uncommon, but is conferred by hot spot aminoacid resistance. The use of medically related antifungal drugs substitutions in glucan synthase in agriculture has resulted in environmental reservoirs • Biofilms confer all or partial resistance to most drug classes 3,4 for some drug-resistant pathogens. The emergence of • Genetic factors, such as global transcription factors, DNA repair, and chromosomal drug resistance to any one drug class severely limits abnormalities help to induce drug-resistant phenotypes therapy because so few treatment options are available. • The occurrence of cryptic species, which are often drug resistant, is increasing. Multidrug resistance can eliminate treatment options • Emerging species that are resistant to all antifungal classes (eg, Candida auris) entirely, which has a devastating effect on patient are increasingly reported outcome. In this Series paper, the effect of antifungal • Robust antifungal stewardship programmes that integrate rapid diagnostics, resistance on patient care and the role of antimicrobial therapeutic drug monitoring, and clinical intervention teams are required to stewardship programmes in the prevention of antifungal overcome drug resistance in the clinic resistance are discussed. www.thelancet.com/infection Published online July 31, 2017 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S1473-3099(17)30316-X 1 Series Public Health Research without the assistance of a robust immune response in success, uncertain effect of treatment, or high probability Institute, New Jersey Medical the fight against the infection.5 Indwelling catheters, of treatment failure. Antifungal susceptibility testing School, Rutgers Biomedical and artificial heart valves, and other implanted devices identifies fungal strains that probably cause treatment Health Sciences, Newark, NJ, USA (Prof D S Perlin PhD); contribute to refractory infections because these surfaces failure, and provides an index for trends in changing Manchester Academic Health are often colonised with drug-impermeable biofilms. susceptibility or new drug resistance mechanisms. Drug Science Centre, University of Although drug penetration at sites of infection is poorly susceptibility testing is routinely used to assess yeasts, Manchester and University understood, drug delivery within the host is known to but is not formally recommended for the assessment of Hospital of South Manchester, Wythenshawe Hospital, contribute to therapeutic failure—eg, an intra-abdominal Aspergillus species by the Infectious Diseases Society of Manchester, UK abscess can seed drug resistance because fungi are America. (R Rautemaa-Richardson MD); exposed to suboptimal concentrations of drug.6 Among Of course, the application of antifungal susceptibility and Medical Mycology Reference Laboratory, patients with chronic infections, poor compliance with testing varies with clinical setting (eg, those with a high National Center for drug regimens might contribute to suboptimal drug probability of resistance), individual patient risk factors, Microbiology, Instituto de exposure. Drug exposure in the form of prophylaxis, and response to therapy. In specialist laboratories, the Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain repeated, or long-term therapy is associated with EUCAST and CLSI reference methods are mostly used for (A Alastruey-Izquierdo PhD) the emergence of resistance. Similarly, exposure to yeast susceptibility testing, whereas routine microbiology Correspondence to: agricultural fungicides with identical molecular targets laboratories rely on commercial techniques, such as Prof David S Perlin, Public Health 15 13 Research Institute, New Jersey to those of systemic antifungals has seeded environmental Etest and Sensititre YeastOne, or automated systems, Medical School-Rutgers reservoirs of resistant organisms. Microbiological drug like Vitek.16 For Candida spp, the results of these tests are University, Newark, NJ 07103, resistance can be either primary (intrinsic) or secondary generally in agreement with those obtained by reference USA [email protected] (acquired). Primary drug resistance is found naturally methods. among some fungi without previous exposure, and often involves the same mechanism as that which causes Azole resistance acquired resistance, although unknown mechanisms can Azole compounds (eg, fluconazole, voriconazole, also be implicated. The molecular mechanisms that posaconazole) target the cytochrome P450 enzyme sterol confer antifungal resistance are known for all major drug 14α-demethylase, which converts lanosterol to ergosterol, classes, and are addressed in this Series paper, but and is encoded by ERG11 in yeast and Cyp51 in moulds. the complex biological factors that promote these Inhibition of 14α-demethylase is fungistatic in yeasts mechanisms are only starting to be elucidated.7 and fungicidal in moulds. Triazoles are recommended for the treatment of aspergillosis, and are widely used Assessment of antifungal