A Global Assessment of Antifungal Drug Resistance among Candida Species: A Meta-synthesis of Research Productivity and Scientific Report

Globally, the threat of microbial resistance to therapeutic drugs is increasing, with particular attention to certain microbes. Candida species are among the microbial groups eliciting serious antimycotic resistance concerns. Hence, this study provides scientific evidence of advances on antifungal drug resistance among Candida spp. Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines, datasets were retrieved from the Web of Science and Scopus databases to analyze the available scientific evidence between January 2002 and February 2023. Three thousand, one hundred and ninety-nine (3,199) articles related to antifungal drug resistance among Candida spp. were published within the period, with an average citation/document of 27.77. An unprecedented increase in productivity occurred from 2016 and continued throughout the COVID-19 pandemic period to date, also in 2011 and 2019, peak periods were observed. The most active author was Pfaller MA, having the highest publications (n = 75; 2.34%) and a total citation of 7,575. The Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy journal ranked first among the top-most sources with 268 (8.38%) articles. Most of the authors of these publications originate from the USA, with 536 (16.80%) articles and a total citation of 30,478. A robust collaborative network was noticed among authors, institutions, and countries in the developed nations, but lacking with authors in developing regions. Only the Republic of South Africa made the list of top 20 actively collaborating countries on the subject from African region. Also, the thematic landscape of research areas lacks important topics such as the discovery of novel drug targets and diagnostic tools. This article provides a comprehensive global overview of the up-to-date research on drug resistance among Candida spp. and associated diseases. It has underscored the need for further synergistic efforts worldwide to ensure global health.