Antifungals are going the way of antibiotics—overused, hitting resistance

CDC urges clinicians to confirm fungal infections before prescribing antifungal medications.

Clinicians in the US may be overprescribing topical antifungal treatments for skin infections, potentially exacerbating a growing problem of drug resistance, according to a new study.

Last year, a dermatologist in New York reported the country’s first cases of a newly emerging skin fungus that is highly contagious and resistant to common antifungal treatments. Silent community spread appeared to be behind the unconnected cases. Overall, drug-resistant fungal skin infection cases (aka ringworm) have been identified in at least 11 US states to date.

Read more at: https://arstechnica.com

Curated by Arun