IN-VITRO ANTIFUNGAL ACTIVITY OF SERTACONAZOLE, BIFONAZOLE, KETOCONAZOLE, AND MICONAZOLE AGAINST YEASTS OF THE CANDIDA GENUS

The in-vitro antifungal activity of sertaconazole against 110 strains of Candida yeasts (50 Candida albicans, 15 Candida glabrata, 2 Candida guilliermodii, 8 Candida krusei, 1 Candida kefyr, 8 Candida parapsilo sis and 26 Candida tropicalis) was assessed in comparison with bifonaz ole, ketoconazole, econazole and miconazole. The majority of the strai ns were clinical isolates; some reference strains were included. A com mercial agar diffusion method (NeoSensitabs, Rosco, Taastrup, Denmark) in Shadomy's modified medium pH 7 was used. Using the manufacturer's criteria, 86.4% of the strains were classified as ''sensitive'' to ser taconazole. The only strain classified as ''resistant'' to sertaconazo te was the control reference strain of C. albicans. The remaining stra ins were classified as ''moderately sensitive''. The sensitivity/resis tance percentages for the other antifungals tested were 75.5/1.8 for k etoconazole, 71.8/2.7 for miconazole, 63.7/13.6 for econazole, and 59. 1/5.5 for bifonazole. Sertaconazole showed a higher antifungal activit y than that of the other antimycotics, tested in vitro which was stati stically significant (P < 0.001), as well as a lower resistance rate t han that of econazole, bifonazole and ketoconazole.