Multidrug-Resistant Fungi

Fungal infections represent a growing global health concern, particularly among immunocompromised patients. In recent decades, the emergence of antifungal resistance in clinically relevant fungi has increasingly limited the effectiveness of available therapies. At the same time, antifungal treatment options remain restricted to a small number of drug classes, highlighting the urgent need for new therapeutic strategies and a deeper understanding of resistance mechanisms. Antifungal resistance can arise through multiple biological processes, including mutations in drug targets, overexpression of efflux transporters, biofilm formation, and genetic or metabolic adaptations that allow fungal pathogens to survive antifungal pressure. Advances in molecular biology, genomics, and other experimental approaches have expanded our ability to investigate resistance mechanisms and identify potential targets for innovative antifungal therapies.

This Reprint compiles recent advances in medical mycology focused on antifungal resistance and emerging therapeutic strategies. The contributions address molecular and genomic aspects of resistance, transcriptional responses to antifungal agents, identification of resistance-associated mutations, and the evaluation of novel antifungal compounds and repurposed drugs. Together, these studies provide an overview of current research aimed at understanding and overcoming antifungal resistance.