Mechanisms of Multidrug Resistance in Fungal Pathogens

Abstract

Fungal pathogens can develop resistance to antifungal agents as is the case with most microbes exposed to anti-infectives. Though the number of antifungal agents is limited, fungal pathogens have revealed a large pattern of resistance mechanisms. Among them, the phenomenon of multidrug resistance is of particular importance since interactions of the underlying molecular mechanisms can facilitate acquisition of resistance to multiple agents. This type of resistance is mostly mediated by efflux transporters of several classes. In this review, we have summarized the current understanding of this phenomenon at the clinical, cellular, and molecular levels and discussed its occurrence in several important fungal pathogens including Candida , Aspergillus and Cryptococcus spp.