IN-VITRO EFFICACY AND FUNGICIDAL ACTIVITY OF VORICONAZOLE AGAINST ASPERGILLUS AND FUSARIUM SPECIES

Twenty-nine Aspergillus isolates and 25 Fusarium isolates underwent in vitro antifungal susceptibility testing by a broth macrodilution proc edure adapted from the National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Stan dards guidelines. The MIC50s of both voriconazole and amphotericin B w ere 0.5 mu g/ml and 1 mu g/ml against species of Aspergillus and Fusar ium, respectively, while the MIC90s of both agents were 1 and 2 mu g/m l. Voriconazole was more active in vitro than amphotericin B: the geom etric mean MICs of voriconazole and amphotericin B against Aspergillus spp. were 0.36 mu g/ml and 0.64 mu g/ml, respectively. Voriconazole a lso demonstrated fungicidal activity against Aspergillus spp., with 86 % (24/29) of isolates exhibiting minimum lethal concentrations of less than or equal to 4 mu g/ml.