[In vitro susceptibility of vaginal isolates of Candida vs clotrimazole and nystatin].

The susceptibility in vitro of 123 isolates of Candida against clotrimazole and nystatin was determined. The isolates were obtained by vaginal smears from 404 women that attended "Ramón Gonzalez Coro" Gynecoobstetric Hospital, in Havana City According to the number of colonies obtained in the primary isolation, the strains were separated into 2 categories: colonization and infection. The inhibitory minimum concentration (IMC) was detemined for each antigunfal by a method of microdilution in casitone broth. The geometrical means of the IMC values were higher against nystatin (1.08 mg/mL) than against clotrimazole (0.22 mg/mL), eventhough the features were similar (< or = 0.125-16 mg/ml,) For (Candida albicans, that was the most frequently isolated species (54.5 %), the geometrical means of the IMC values were 0.17 and 0.16 mg/mL for clotrimazole and 0.71 and 0.92 for nystatin, in both categories. C glabrata showed the highest IMC values (16 mg/mL) against antifungals. Only the isolates of C. lusitaniae showed a significant difference (p < 0.001) between the IMC values of nystatin according to the number of colonies in the primary isolation. In isolates from women treated with clotrimazole and/or nystatin in previous episodes of candidiasis, there were observed more elevated values of the means of IMC against nystatin than against clotrimazole, although this difference was not statistically remarkable.