In vitro susceptibility of 245 yeast isolates to amphotericin B, 5-fluorocytosine, ketoconazole, fluconazole and itraconazole.

The in vitro activity of amphotericin B, 5-fluorocytosine, ketoconazole, fluconazole and itraconazole was tested against 245 yeast strains isolated from clinical specimens (68 Candida albicans, 74 Candida tropicalis, 43 Candida krusei, 28 Candida glabrata, 19 Candida parapsilosis, 8 Candida lusitaniae and 5 Candida guilliermondii). An agar dilution method was employed to carry out testing. Minimal inhibitory concentrations to restrain 90% of isolate growth (MIC90) ranged from 0.12 to 2 mg/l for amphotericin B and for 5-fluorocytosine, from 0.03 to 8 mg/l for ketoconazole, from 0.05 to 50 mg/l for itraconazole and from 0.1 to > 100 mg/l for fluconazole. Among the azole derivatives, the most active was ketoconazole, followed by itraconazole. Only 1 strain of C. albicans was resistant to amphotericin B (MIC > 4 mg/l). Both C. tropicalis and C. krusei responded poorly to fluconazole and the former to itraconazole as well. The species most susceptible to the antifungal agents tested was C. glabrata and the most resistant were C. tropicalis and C. krusei.