Characteristics, Clinical Relevance, and the Role of Echinocandins in Fungal-Bacterial Interactions

Fungal-bacterial interactions are common in the environment. The interactions between invasive fungi (eg, Candida species and Aspergillus species) and pathogenic bacteria can be particularly significant in the outcome of human infections. Study of these interactions in vivo using murine or invertebrate models, such as Caenorhabditis elegans or Galleria mellonella, has been very helpful in increasing our understanding of the pathogenesis of mixed infections and in identifying ways to use this between-kingdom interplay to our advantage. Based on their effect against fungal biofilms and their immunomodulatory properties, the newer class of antifungal agents, known as echinocandins, has the potential to be useful in polymicrobial infections and in high-risk complex infections such as ventilator-associated pneumonia or sepsis where colonization by fungi can lead to worse outcomes.