Patients with significant degrees of immunocompromise, such as cancer
AIDS and large burns, who have received significant amounts of antibio
tics, may develop infections with yeast organisms. Over a 3-year perio
d, all patients with positive fungal blood cultures and most wounds of
patients with large bums considered to be at risk of yeast infection
were selected and tested for their susceptibility to five antifungal a
gents, amphotericin B, ketoconazole, miconazole, diflucan, and 5-fluor
ocytosine. In all, 244 specimens of yeast were tested: 142 Candida alb
icans, 52 Candida parapsilosis, 26 Candida tropicalis and 13 Trichospo
ron beigelii, A limited number of other isolates of Candida (12) were
also encottntered. All Candida organisms were sensitive to amphoterici
n B. There was wide variation in regard to the susceptibility to the o
ther four agents, with C. albicans and C. tropicalis being largely res
istant to miconazole and ketoconazole, T. beigelii was recovered in 13
patients. One-half of these organisms was resistant to amphotericin B
. Awareness of variations in species and susceptibility are helpful in
the selection of appropriate therapeutic antifungal agents.