Why is It More Difficult to Treat Fungal Infections Than

Question

Why is it more difficult to treat fungal infections than bacterial infections in humans?
A) Fungi are able to mutate more quickly than bacteria, so they quickly develop resistance to antifungal drugs.
B) Fungal cells are larger than bacteria. Thus, the drugs used must be able to diffuse more quickly.
C) Fungi are larger organisms than bacteria and thus require stronger drugs to stop an infection.
D) Fungal and animal cells and proteins are similar. Thus, drugs that disrupt fungal cell or protein function may also disrupt human cell or protein function.
E) Most fungi are multicellular and thus the drugs required to treat a fungal infection must be able to kill several types of cells; bacteria, on the other hand, are unicellular and thus simpler to kill.

Accepted Answer

Fungal and animal cells and proteins are similar, making it difficult for antifungal drugs to target the fungus without harming the host organism. Bacterial cells, on the other hand, have significant differences in their cellular and molecular structure from human cells, making them easier to target with medication.