Background: Invasive fungal infections are responsible for a large number of infections in hospitalized patients annually and are responsible for high morbidity and mortality. Familiarity with novel agents or strategies in this area can be challenging.
Objectives: To identify the top 10 manuscripts on the treatment of invasive fungal infections from 2018 to 2023.
Design: Modified Delphi consensus-building technique.
Methods: A three-stage consensus-building approach was used comprised of (1) identifying relevant articles; (2) voting by a panel of experts to establish consensus on the importance of these articles; and (3) finalizing the list of top articles by a small group. Members of the Southeastern Research Group Endeavor network served as content experts. Publications from 2018 to 2023 were evaluated if articles met the following inclusion criteria: (1) published between 2018 and 2023, (2) contained content related to fungal infections, and (3) included an actionable intervention.
Results: A total of 6518 potential publications were assessed. After applying inclusion and exclusion criteria, 82 articles were reviewed. The top 10 publications related to invasive fungal infections, selected by a panel of experts, are summarized in this manuscript and include publications related to the treatment of invasive aspergillosis, candidiasis, and cryptococcosis.
Conclusion: This article highlights the selected publications and may serve as a key resource for teaching and training. Clinicians may also employ these reported interventions to identify new opportunities to optimize antifungal therapeutic strategies within one's institution.
Keywords: antifungal agents; antifungal drug resistance; azoles; echinocandins; infectious disease; invasive candidiasis; invasive pulmonary aspergillosis.
Top papers in antifungal literature 2018-2023 Fungi live in the environment and in the intestinal tract of humans, and infections caused by fungi can be deadly. Knowing what has been studied in the medical literature can give medical personnel information to best treat these infections. This paper sought to use scientific methods to review and choose the top 10 papers from 2018-2023 that make a difference in treatment of these potentially deadly fungal infections. Infections covered include those caused by yeasts (Candida and Cryptococcus) and molds (Aspergillus). Drugs covered include azole antifungals (isavuconazole, voriconazole, posaconazole, and fluconazole), echinocandins (caspofungin, micafungin), amphotericin, and new drugs (fosmanogepix and rezafungin). Strategies evaluated to improve patient care include dosing changes, empiric therapy choices, and therapeutic drug monitoring. This paper might help medical personnel better manage fungal infections.
© The Author(s), 2024.