Invasive fungal infections are often life-threatening in persons with immunocompromise. Persons with prolonged neutropenia secondary to cytotoxic chemotherapies are at high risk for these infections. Patients undergoing bone marrow transplantation, receiving prolonged corticosteroid or other immunosuppressive therapies, and persons with HIV infection and AIDS are also at risk. With the use of currently approved antifungal therapy, many of these infections may still be associated with a high mortality. Amphotericin B in its conventional form, is the current standard treatment for most life-threatening fungal infections. Because of its nephrotoxicity and other adverse effects, alternatives to conventional amphotericin B have been sought. Alternate agents include three lipid formulations of amphotericin B, fluconazole, and itraconazole. Although all of these agents are associated with a decrease in adverse effects, their efficacy in most life-threatening fungal infections has not been shown to be equivalent to conventional amphotericin B.