[Insects as model organisms to study the pathogenesis of fungal infections and evaluation of potential antimycotics].

Systemic fungal infections are becoming an increasingly important problem. Exploring the development of mechanisms of pathogenesis, immune response of the human organism and the search for new potential antifungal agents requires in vivo testing. Mice, rats and rabbits are indispensable model organisms for this type of study. Unfortunately, such a kinds of studies carried out on a large scale are associated with high costs as well as with logistical and ethical problems. This paper reports proposal for the use of insects as model organisms to study the development of systemic fungal infections and analysis of biological activities of antifungal agents.