Treating fungal infections with just one drug can be ineffective, since fungi can quickly develop drug resistance. Using a combination drug therapy instead can help overcome this issue, especially for infections caused by Candida albicans.
Researchers from the University of Toronto tested combination therapies and found only a few strains of Candida albicans, which causes healthcare-acquired infections, develop resistance to drugs, and resistance also weakens the fungus.
"If we're going to treat these infections with drug combinations, we need to know if they'll readily become resistant," Leah Cowen, the study's lead researcher and a professor at University of Toronto's Department of Molecular Genetics, said. "In Candida albicans, we found a trade-off: a few strains gain some resistance but they become less 'fit' or functional when the drug is not present."
In other words, the strain that became resistant to drug combination therapy became weaker when they encounter oxidative stress and are vulnerable to immune cells called macrophages.
All of this means that drug combinations could minimize drug resistance, according to the University of Toronto report.