ANTIFUNGAL THERAPY AND PESTICIDES: IS THERE A CONNECTION?

Introduction. During the last decades, the resistance of fungi to antifungal drugs has remained one of the key problems of practical medicine and medical science and requires in-depth study. The work is devoted to the study of an important issue – the possibility of the formation of drug resistance to antifungal therapy under the influence of fungicidal drugs in fungi of the genus Candida. Fungicides, in particular triazole and imidazole derivatives, are widely used today in various areas of the national economy, both in our country and in the world as a whole. Aim. To explore the potential development of antifungal drug resistance in Candida fungi due to pesticide exposure. Materials and methods. Microorganism Cultures: Included reference strains (Candida albicans DSM 1386, Candida krusei RN 7106, Candida glabrata Y-199) and clinical strains (C. albicans, C. krusei, C. glabrata) from various collections. MIC and MFC Determination: MICs were identified via serial dilutions in AM3 medium with Candida suspensions. MFC was determined by seeding samples on Sabouraud medium, with results evaluated after incubation. Candida Sensitivity to Antifungal Drugs: Sensitivity of Candida strains to antifungal drugs (imidazoles, triazoles, polyenes) was assessed using the disk diffusion method. Candida Resistance Formation: Clinical strains were passaged in nutrient media with increasing fungicide concentrations to study resistance development. Results. The article presents the results of determining the sensitivity of Candida fungi to fungicides from the triazole and imidazole groups, and it is shown that it varies and depends on the species and strain characteristics of the studied cultures. The impact of the adaptation process of fungal pathogens to azole (difenoconazole and propiconazole) and imidazole (imazalil and prochloraz) fungicides on their sensitivity to antifungal drugs is described, and experimental evidence demonstrates the potential for the development of cross-resistance among pathogens to chemically similar drugs. The influence of the Candida adaptation processes to azole fungicides (difenoconazole and propiconazole) and imidazoles (imazalil and prochloraz) on their sensitivity to medicinal antifungal drugs is described, and the possibility of the formation of cross-resistance to drugs with similar chemical structures in the causative agents of fungal infections has been experimentally proven. At the same time, it was established that, in some cases, the process of adaptation of this group of microorganisms to fungicides was accompanied by an increase in their sensitivity to antimycotics, which are used to treat fungal infections. Conclusions. The results of laboratory studies presented in the article indicate a direct connection between the use of fungicides and the acquisition of resistance among the causative agents of fungal infections to medical antifungal drugs.