This second volume of PDR SPECIAL TOPICS contains five review articles
dealing with fungal diseases in humans as well as therapeutic
approaches. The first chapter gives an account of the various growth
forms of pathogenic fungi and classifies them based on their sexual
cycle and on their RNA/DNA patterns. The second chapter describes the
clinical manifestations of human fungal infections, their prevalence and
epidemiology. The third chapter is devoted to diverse laboratory methods
in the field of diagnosis of fungal infections, and the fourth and main
chapter presents a complete overview of current antifungal therapy. The
increase in fungal infections and the improvement of therapeutic options
leading to a demand for reliable antifungal susceptibility testing is
the topic of the closing chapter. The volume aims at the practitioner
who wants to be abreast of the latest achievements in this field and
advanced students who wish to further their studies in this important
domain.