DOES HYDROCORTISONE MODIFY THE IN-VITRO SUSCEPTIBILITY OF ASPERGILLUS-FUMIGATUS TO ITRACONAZOLE AND AMPHOTERICIN-B

To analyse if hydrocortisone could modify the in vitro susceptibility of Aspergillus fumigatus to antifungal drugs, we developed a procedure to test the susceptibility of an A. fumigatus strain to amphotericin B and itraconazole, grown in the presence and in the absence of hydroc ortisone. Conidia were germinated in the presence or the absence of hy drocortisone in Czapek medium without antifungal drug. A dilution of t hese cultures (5 x 10(3) conidia ml(-1)) was spread onto Czapek-agaros e plates containing both antifungal drug and hydrocortisone. The cfu p er plate were enumerated and compared. A therapeutic concentration of hydrocortisone induced a significant increase in the susceptibility to itraconazole. Conversely, the susceptibility to amphotericin B was no t significantly modified when this antifungal drug was associated with hydrocortisone.