Other Antimicrobial Agents

Over 100 different antibiotics have been approved for clinical use. This number does not include the list of approved antiviral, antifungal, and antiprotozoal agents. Existing antivirals are predominantly used against the influenza and HIV viruses. It is difficult to discover antivirals due to the viral ability to hijack host metabolic machinery, the difficulty in culturing viruses, and their high mutation rates. Antifungal agents predominantly target fungal cell wall synthesis as well as ergosterol synthesis. Antiprotozoals are used to treat amoebiasis, leishmaniasis, malaria, and trypanosomiasis. A brief summary of important drugs in these classes is provided in the chapter.