title: [Evaluation of Candida species' susceptibility to fluconazole with the disk diffusion method].
abstract: Infections caused by yeasts belonging to the genus Candida have increased dramatically in the last decades, especially in hospital settings. Concomittantly, antimycotic resistance has emerged, as well as the appearance of non-Candida albicans isolates. To standardize in vitro antifungal susceptibility tests, the agar diffusion test was developed using disks impregnated with the antimycotic compound. Electronic recording of the inhibition zone (BIOMIC), furnishes objective values for the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC). The fluconazole susceptibility patterns were determined for Candida species isolated from 2.139 patients seen in outpatient clinics or in health-care centers in Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela. Candida albicans was the species most frequently isolated (62%), followed at a distance by Candida parapsilosis (11%), Candida tropicalis (8.5%), Candida glabata (3.5%) and Candida krusei (2.2%). MIC determinations showed that 88.1% of these isolates were susceptible to fluconazole, 5.1% were susceptible-dose-dependant and 6.8% resistant. An important proportion (92.1%) of the C. albicans isolates proved susceptible while resistance predominated in the remaining species. These results indicate that the BIOMIC method is rapid and simple, constituting a suitable tool for the epidemiologic surveillance of resistance in Candida species.
authors.affiliation: Corporación para Investigaciones Biológicas (CIB), Medellín, Colombia.
authors.forename: Catalina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: de Bedout
authors.forename: Julio
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ayabaca
authors.forename: Ricardo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Vega
authors.forename: Matilde
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Méndez
authors.forename: Axel R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Santiago
authors.forename: María Lucrecia
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Pabón
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tabares
authors.forename: Myrtha
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Arango
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Restrepo
authors.forename: Vance
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Newell
mesh_terms: D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002175:Candida / Q000187:drug effects*; D004058:Diffusion; D015725:Fluconazole / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests
chemical_list: D000935:Antifungal Agents; D015725:Fluconazole
vernacular_title: Evaluación de la susceptibilidad de especies de Candida al fluconazol por el método de difusión de disco.