Two-year surveillance on fluconazole susceptibility of Candida spp isolates in a general and university hospital in Rome

Fluconazole susceptibility was tested in 385 clinical yeast isolates (285 C andida albicans, 38 C.glabrata, 31 Ctropicalis, 31 other Candida subsp.) us ing the agar disk diffusion test. Yeasts were collected from specimens obta ined from outpatients (69) and inpatients (intensive care unit: 79 isolates , major burn unit: 31 isolates, hematology ward: 45 isolates, gynecology wa rd: 67 isolates, other wards: 94 isolates). Three hundred and fifty-six (92 %) yeast isolates showed to be susceptible, 18 (5%) were susceptible dose-d ependent, and 10 (3%) were resistant to fluconazole. Of the resistant group , 3 isolates were C.albicans, while seven were Candida non-albicans (2 C.ru gosa, 2 C.humicola, 1 C.tropicalis, 1 C.ciferrii, 1 C.glabrata). The disk-d iffusion method was easy to perform and there were no difficulties in the i nterpretation of inhibition zone diameters. Fluconazole maintained a good a ctivity against Candida spp despite its extensive use for the prophylaxis a nd treatment of fungal infections. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Inc. All right s reserved.