Resistance amongst yeasts isolated from the oral cavities of patients with advanced cancer.

The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of in vitro resistance amongst yeasts isolated from the oral cavities of patients with advanced cancer. The National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards' broth microdilution method was used to determine the sensitivities to fluconazole, itraconazole, ketoconazole, and nystatin, whilst the Etest method was used to determine the sensitivity to amphotericin B. The prevalence of in vitro resistance was: amphotericin B, 2%; fluconazole, 8%; itraconazole, 22%; ketoconazole, 7%; nystatin, 0%. Moreover, 28% of the yeasts was resistant to one or more of the azole group of anti-fungal drugs. The results of this study suggest that azole resistance may become a clinical problem in palliative care.