Skip to main content
PMC home page
Bulletin of the World Health Organization logoLink to Bulletin of the World Health Organization
. 1965;33(2):219–226.

Candicidin and other polyenic antifungal antibiotics

A review*

Selman A Waksman, Hubert A Lechevalier, Carl P Schaffner
PMCID: PMC2475843  PMID: 5320588

Abstract

About 50 polyenic antifungal antibiotics produced by actinomycetes have been isolated and described. Among these are the most effective antimonilial agents so far known. These polyenes can be classified into four broad groups depending on the number of conjugated carbon-to-carbon double bonds that are present in their chromophores. Only some of the tetraenes (four conjugated double bonds), such as nystatin and pimaricin, and a few heptaenes (seven conjugated double bonds), such as amphotericin B, Trichomycin candicidin and hamycin, have found practical application in the treatment of infectious diseases caused by fungi. Nystatin and pimaricin show the least in vitro activity against fungi, while trichomycin and candicidin are the most active. Recent clinical investigations carried out in the USA have shown that candicidin is very effective in the treatment of vaginal monilial infections.

Full text

PDF

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. ABRUZZI W. A. A NEW ANTIBIOTIC FOR TREATMENT OF MONILIASIS. West Med Med J West. 1964 Feb;5:62–63. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. BALL S., BESSELL C. J., MORTIMER A. The production of polyenic antibiotics by soil streptomycetes. J Gen Microbiol. 1957 Aug;17(1):96–103. doi: 10.1099/00221287-17-1-96. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. CAPPUCCINO E. F., STAUBER L. A. Some compounds active against experimental visceral leishmaniasis. Proc Soc Exp Biol Med. 1959 Aug-Sep;101:742–744. doi: 10.3181/00379727-101-25080. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. DONOVICK R., GOLD W., PAGANO J. F., STOUT H. A. Amphotericins A and B, antifungal antibiotics produced by a streptomycete. I. In vitro studies. Antibiot Annu. 1955;3:579–586. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. FOX J. L. Candicidin, a new antifungal antibiotic: first clinical report. Antibiotic Med Clin Ther (New York) 1955 Jun;1(6):349–350. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. FRANKS A. G., TASCHDJIAN C. L., THORPE G. A. Effect of candicidin in intertriginous and paronychial moniliasis. J Invest Dermatol. 1954 Aug;23(2):75–76. doi: 10.1038/jid.1954.86. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. GERKE J. R., MADIGAN M. E. Amphotericin B and other polyene antifungal antibiotics: photometric assay and factors influencing activity. Antibiot Chemother (Northfield) 1961 Apr;11:227–237. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. GIORLANDO S. W., TORRES J. F., MUSCILLO G. NEW ANTIFUNGAL ANTIBIOTIC PREPARATION: CLINICAL DOSE STUDY. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 1964 Oct 1;90:370–373. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. HAZEN E. L., BROWN R. Two antifungal agents produced by a soil actinomycete. Science. 1950 Oct 13;112(2911):423–423. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. HOSOYA S., SOEDA M., IMAMURA S., OKADA K., NAKAZAWA S., KOMATSU N., KOBORI T., IKENAGA M. Antimycotic activities of trichomycin, with special reference to the experimental and clinical studies of trichomycin ointment. G Ital Chemioter. 1954 Apr-Jun;1(2):217–230. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. JAMBOR W. P., STEINBERG B. A., SUYDAM L. O. Amphotericins A and B: two new antifungal antibiotics possessing high activity against deep-seated and superficial mycoses. Antibiot Annu. 1955;3:574–578. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. KLIGMAN A. M., LEWIS F. S. In vitro and in vivo activity of candicidin on pathogenic fungi. Proc Soc Exp Biol Med. 1953 Mar;82(3):399–404. doi: 10.3181/00379727-82-20128. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. LECHEVALIER H., BOROWSKI E., LAMPEN J. O., SCHAFFNER C. P. Water-soluble N-acetyl derivatives of heptaene macrolide antifungal antibiotics: microbiological studies. Antibiot Chemother (Northfield) 1961 Oct;11:640–647. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. LECHEVALIER H. Comparison of the in vitro activity of four polyenic antifungal antibiotics. Antibiot Annu. 1959;7:614–615. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. LECHEVALIER H. Les antibiotiques antifongiques produits par les actinomycètes, la candicidine. Presse Med. 1953 Oct 17;61(66):1327–1328. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. LECHEVALIER H., PLEDGER R. A. Survey of the production of polyenic substances by soil streptomycetes. Antibiot Annu. 1955;3:249–254. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. MAGARA M., NITTONO H., SENDA T. Application of trichomycin to Trichomonas vaginalis vaginitis and vaginal candidiasis. Antibiotic Med Clin Ther (New York) 1955 Jul;1(7):394–397. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. MELGES F. J. A NEW ANTIFUNGAL ANTIBIOTIC. Obstet Gynecol. 1964 Dec;24:921–923. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. McCOY E., KISER J. S. An evaluation of nystatin and candicidin against a standardized systemic Candida albicans infection in mice. Antibiot Annu. 1958;6:903–909. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. OROSHNIK W., VINING L. C., MEBANE A. D., TABER W. A. Polyene antibiotics. Science. 1955 Feb 4;121(3136):147–149. doi: 10.1126/science.121.3136.147. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. OSWALD E. J., POCURULL D. W. Comparative in vitro effectiveness of tennecetin and candicidin against selected fungi. Antibiot Chemother. 1960 May;10:285–286. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. SCHAFFNER C. P., BOROWSKI E. Biologically active N-acyl derivatives of polyene macrolide antifungal antibiotics. Antibiot Chemother (Northfield) 1961 Nov;11:724–732. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. SEABURY J. H. Experience with amphotericin B. Chemotherapia (Basel) 1961;3:81–94. doi: 10.1159/000219534. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. TAKAHASHI I. A new antifungal substance flavacid; studies on the antibiotic substances from Actinomyces, XXVII. J Antibiot (Tokyo) 1953 Jul;6(3):117–121. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. VANEK Z., DOLEZILOVA L., REHACEK Z. Formation of a mixture of antibiotic substances including antibiotics of a polyene character, by strains of actinomycetes freshly isolated from soil samples. J Gen Microbiol. 1958 Jun;18(3):649–657. doi: 10.1099/00221287-18-3-649. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. VINING L. C. The polyene antifungal antibiotics. Hindustan Antibiot Bull. 1960 Nov;3:37–54. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  27. WAKSMAN S. A., ROMANO A. H., LECHEVALLIER H., RAUBITSCHEK F. Antifungal antibiotics. Bull World Health Organ. 1952;6(1-2):163–172. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  28. WAKSMAN S. A. THE ACTINOMYCETES AND THEIR ANTIBIOTICS. Adv Appl Microbiol. 1963;5:235–315. doi: 10.1016/s0065-2164(08)70013-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  29. de BOISLAMBERT P. [Amphotericin B in the treatment of severe mycoses. Trial treatment of leishmaniasis]. Chemotherapia (Basel) 1963;6:51–57. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Bulletin of the World Health Organization are provided here courtesy of World Health Organization

RESOURCES