Use of isavuconazole antifungal medicine to treat mold infections in Asia and the Western Pacific region: a plain language summary.

Abstract

What is this summary about?: Molds are types of fungus that can invade humans. It can cause a disease called invasive mold infection (IMI) and make people sick or cause death. This is a summary of a study that looked at mold samples collected from people in Asia and the Western Pacific region to check if an antifungal medicine called isavuconazole (ISC) can stop the growth of or kill these molds.

What were the results?: One type of mold known as Aspergillus or type 1 molds, was more common than other molds. Antifungal medicines including ISC, posaconazole, voriconazole, and itraconazole slowed or stopped the growth of the type 1 molds. ISC was very active in slowing or stopping the growth of this mold. Other molds, known as non-Aspergillus or type 2 mold, were less common. The antifungals medicines mentioned above were able to slow or stop the growth of some but not all of the type 2 molds.

What do the results of the study mean?: ISC stopped the growth of most type 1 molds and was as good as the other antifungal medicines against type 2 molds.

What is the purpose of this plain language summary?: The purpose of this plain language summary is to help you to understand the findings from recent research. The results of this study may differ from those of other studies. Health professionals should make treatment decisions based on all available evidence not on the results of a single study.