Present status of antimycotics.

The four principal classes of antimycotic drugs used in clinical practice are the polyene macrolide antibiotics, the synthetic imidazole drugs, griseofulvin and 5-fluorocytosine. Drugs in the first two groups interfere with the synthesis and functioning of cell membranes and the others interfere with nuclear metabolism. The mode of action of 5-fluorocytosine is well understood, but the detailed molecular mechanisms by which the other compounds work have yet to be elucidated.