CANDIDA-ALBICANS - BIOTYPING BY SUSCEPTIBILITY TO ANTIMYCOTICS

The ''in vitro'' antifungal activity of amphotericin B, ketoconazole, miconazole and flucytosine against 100 Candida albicans strains recove red from different clinical specimens was studied. Amphotericin B at a concentration of 1.0 mu g/mL was the most effective agent, inhibiting 90.0% of all the strains tested Ketoconazole at the concentration of 8.0 mu g/mL was the least effective, inhibiting only 37.0% of the C.al bicans isolates. Susceptibility or resistance to the 4 antifungal agen ts were respectively detected in 10.0% and 1.0% of the isolates. Based on susceptibility scores for amphotericin B, ketoconazole, miconazole and flucytosine, a digital system called ''antifungaltyping'' was dev eloped which allowed the identification of 12 different types or patte rns. Biotype 1211 (25%) was the most frequently isolated followed by b iotype 1221 (20%). Strains isolated from a single patient at different times repeatedly showed type 1211 in skin lesions and type 2221 in br onchial washing; type 1211 was isolated from different specimens (sput um and oropharingeal swab) of the sane patient on the same occasion, l ikewise type 1121 (bronchial washing and sputum).