Strain variation and antifungal susceptibility among bloodstream isolates of Candida species from 21 different medical institutions.

Variation in the DNA profile and antifungal susceptibility of 271 bloodstream isolates of Candida species was evaluated. The isolates were obtained from 152 nonneutropenic patients hospitalized in 21 different medical centers. In general, each patient was infected with their own distinct DNA type of Candida, and in those cases in which multiple cultures were positive, the same strain was isolated repeatedly over time. Minimum inhibitory concentrations of fluconazole or amphotericin B did not increase over time among the strains isolated repeatedly from individual patients.