CORRELATION BETWEEN IN-VITRO AND IN-VIVO ACTIVITY OF ANTIFUNGAL AGENTS AGAINST CANDIDA SPECIES

The correlation between antifungal susceptibility testing and in vivo response to antifungal therapy was examined in experimental murine can didiasis. In vitro susceptibility testing was done using a microbroth dilution method. Twenty-two Candida albicans, 4 Candida lusitaniae, an d 2 Candida krusei isolates were tested against fluconazole, flucytosi ne, and amphotericin B. In vivo antifungal activity was tested in muri ne hematogenous candidiasis. Normal CF1 mice were infected with each o f the C. albicans strains; immunosuppressed CF1 mice were inoculated w ith C. lusitaniae or C. krusei. Mice received various doses of antifun gal agents, and survival was monitored for 21 days. Kidney fungal burd en was examined on day 4. Antifungal therapy significantly prolonged s urvival and reduced tissue counts in animals infected with organisms s usceptible to the agent tested (P < .05). In vitro resistance to a dru g predicted its lack of in vivo activity. These results appear to corr elate well with outcome of murine hematogenous candidiasis.