Evaluation of Antifungal Drugs in a Mouse Model of Coccidioidomycosis

摘要

Fungi of the deep mycoses pose health hazards to laboratory workers that often surpass those inherent in handling nonfungal pathogenic microorganisms. The reason for the heightened danger relates to the rapidity with which fungi form dry spores, often on delicate aerial structures. The predilection of the spores to become airborne is very high, and it is often impossible to remove the lid of an agar plate without generating an infectious aerosol. The procedures for determining antimycotic activity against certain systematic fungi in vivo or in vitro cannot be performed safely in routine laboratories, especially when coccidioidomycosis immitis is the test organism. Safety-engineered containment equipment (P-3) is needed. Keywords: Antifungal drugs.