Role of Nanostructured Materials in the Treatment of Superficial Yeast Infections

The rising fungal infections are a major cause of public health concern. With the advancements in the clinical field, the life span of the people all over the world has increased. But in the recent decades, the microbes have also developed resistance to a considerable number of traditional and modern drugs specially bacteria and fungi. Among the various virulent properties of microbes is their ability to form biofilm, which is directly related to its ability to cause infections and increase disease severity. Superficial skin infections caused by yeast mainly include oral candidiasis and vaginal candidiasis caused by Candida albicans and other non-albicans species. Candida can occur both as yeast and filamentous fungi. However, most of the Candida species have become resistant to traditionally available drugs like amphotericin B, fluconazole, itraconazole, etc. Nanoparticles combined with antifungal drugs have emerged as a drug delivery system to combat infections. Hence, this chapter deals with the superficial skin infections caused by yeast, different applications of nanotechnology, the role of nanoparticles in the treatment of infections and various nanoformulations developed as nanomedicine for the treatment of yeast infections.