COMPARATIVE EVALUATION OF 3 SUSCEPHBILITY TEST METHODS OF CANDIDA ALBICANS FOR KETOCONAZOLE AND FLUCONAZOLE

Abstract

The last 40 years have seen major changes m the available health care technology. The development of antibiotics and antineoplastic drugs, advances in intensive care support, progress in immunomodulation, and the advent of organ transplantaion have all contributed to change the prognosis for degenerative diseases. Unfortunately, this prolonged survival of immunocompromised populations also makes them highly, susceptible to invasive fungal infections (Beck-Sague, CM., E taL, 1993).

• Paralleling the increased prevalence of fungal infections has

been the introduction of new antifungal agents and recognition of isolates resistant to antifungal drugs. The chronic use of azoles in the prophylaxis of systemic mycoses in bone marrow transplant patients and for long-term suppressive therapy in AIDS patients is a factor in the selection of isolates that are more resistant to azole therapy (Goodman, J.L., et aL, 1992).

Consequently, many testing metl1ods as a guide to selecting and monitoring antifungal therapy have been developed. Despite advances represented by the recent standardization of a macrobroth procedure by the National Committee for Clinical Laboratory standards (NCCLS),