ABSTRACT
In 1958, Lacaz and Sampaio used amphotericin B for the treatment of paracoccidioidomycosis and obtained good results, despite the side effects of the antibiotic. Paracoccidioidomycosis, a term officially recognized in 1971 in Medellin, Colombia, during a meeting of mycologists from the Americas, is a deep mycosis which may be manifested as an overt disease or occur as an asymptomatic form. The evaluation of the immunologic aspects of paracoccidioidomycosis is presently feasible as soluble or metabolic antigens are well standardized. Researchers at the Botucatu School of Medicine, Sao Paulo, were the first to establish experimental models of P. brasiliensis infection in laboratory animals and to correlate the type of histopathological lesions with humoral and cellular immunity. When the drug is administered orally in different but controlled treatment regimens, clinical and serologic responses can be obtained in many cases. Itraconazole and fluconazole are triazole derivatives which are being used in the treatment of paracoccidioidomycosis and appear quite promising.
