Fungal Infections in the Era of Biologic Therapies

Abstract

The number of patients receiving immunosuppressive agents has increased over the past decade and is expected to increase substantially in the near future. Biologic therapeutic antibodies, also referred to as “biologics,” have become an important class of immunosuppressive drugs and are used widely in the fields of inflammation, cancer, autoimmunity, cardiovascular diseases, organ transplantation, infection, and ophthalmology. These drugs have had a substantial impact in the treatment of many diseases; however, there has also been a concern of increased risk of infection caused by bacterial, mycobacterial, fungal, and viral pathogens. This review will summarize available data on epidemiology of invasive fungal infections in patients receiving select biologic therapies.