Susceptibility profile of vaginal yeast isolates from Brazil

Vaginal specimens for culture were obtained from two hundred and five immun ocompetent, non-hospitalized patients selected among all women attending th e Gynecology and Obstetric Ambulatory Clinic of the University of Espirito Santo, Brazil, during a 2-year period (From 1998 to 1999). Patients were ch ecked for signs and symptoms of vulvovaginitis and previous use of topical and systemic antifungal drugs. Yeast isolates were identified by classical methods and the antifungal susceptibility profile was determined according to NCCLS microbroth assay. The prevalence of vaginal yeast isolates from asymptomatic women was 25% (3 0/121) and 60% (50/84) among patients with symptoms of vulvovaginitis. Cand ida albicans was the most frequently isolated species in both groups (46% a nd 90%, respectively), followed by C. glabrata (13% and 6%, respectively). All isolates were susceptible to amphotericin B. Only ten isolates had dose dependent susceptibility (DDS) or resistance to azoles; and seven of these were non-albicans species. Based on our results we suggest that species identification and antifungal susceptibility testing need not be routinely performed in immunocompetent w omen, and may be reasonable only for the minority of patients with complica ted vulvovaginal candidiasis that fail to respond to therapy.