RAPID SUSCEPTIBILITY TESTING OF FUNGI BY FLOW-CYTOMETRY USING VITAL STAINING

A 1-h assay for antifungal susceptibility testing measuring the impair ment of fungal metabolic activity was developed. Yeast viability was a nalyzed by flow cytometry with a novel fluorescent probe, FUN-1, which emits a red fluorescence when the yeast is metabolically active. For nine Candida albicans strains tested, this method yielded results comp arable to those obtained by the standard M27 procedure for amphoterici n B, flucytosine, fluconazole, and ketoconazole, Whether the flow cyto metry antifungal susceptibility test results correlate with the in viv o activities of the drugs remains to determined.