COMPARISON OF 3 ANTIFUNGAL SUSCEPTIBILITY TESTING METHODS FOR THE IN-VITRO TESTING OF CANDIDA ISOLATES FROM PATIENTS WITH HIV-INFECTION

The MIC values of fluconazole were determined for 96 Candida isolates (56 C. albicans, 15 C. glabrata, 9 C. krusei and 10 C. tropicalis). Th e methods employed for antifugal susceptibility testing were: microdil ution according to the protocol M27-P of the NCCLS (M 27-Pmicro) using RPMI 1640 medium or HR medium following Troke & Pye (HRmicro) as well as the agar diffusion method by means of the Etest (YNB agar). The in vitro results were compared with the clinical outcome of patients. Al l C. albicans isolates received from AIDS patients with fluconazole-re fractory candidosis showed MICs of greater than or equal to 6,25 mg/ml (M27-Pmicro) or greater than or equal to 25 mg/ml (MRmicro) and Etest ). On the other hand some MICs of C. albicans isolates from AIDS patie nts with fluconazole-sensitive candidosis were also beyond these break points. Therefore, a possible success of a fluconazole therapy cannot unequivocally be predicted from the MIC value determined in vitro.