Laboratory evaluation of antifungal agents: a brief overview.

The increasing incidence and significance of human mycotic diseases has prompted concurrent interest in the development and evaluation of antifungal drugs. There has never been a period in medicine when the number of antimycotic agents, either commercially available or undergoing clinical investigation, is as great as at present. An integral part of new antimicrobial development is the laboratory evaluation, both in vivo and in vitro, of such agents. Each of these aspects of laboratory testing offers distinct limitations and advantages; however, such evaluation is critical for continued success in the quest for nontoxic, inexpensive, and efficacious antifungal agents.