Open AccessA comparative evaluation of Etest and broth microdilution methods for fluconazole and itraconazole susceptibility testing of Candida spp.
Author(s) -
Estrella MartínMazuelos,
M. J. Gutiérrez,
Ana Isabel Aller,
Samuel Bernal,
María Ángeles Martínez,
O. Montero,
Guillermo Quindós
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
journal of antimicrobial chemotherapy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.124
H-Index - 194
eISSN - 1460-2091
pISSN - 0305-7453
DOI - 10.1093/jac/43.4.477
Subject(s) - etest , broth microdilution , itraconazole , fluconazole , candida glabrata , candida krusei , candida parapsilosis , microbiology and biotechnology , candida tropicalis , candida albicans , serial dilution , minimum inhibitory concentration , biology , antifungal , medicine , antibiotics , pathology , alternative medicine
The Etest strip is a promising tool of broad application in clinical microbiology. The method provides MIC readings and is easier to perform than broth microdilution. We carried out a study to compare the MICs of fluconazole and itraconazole obtained by the Etest with those obtained by broth microdilution, performed according to the guidelines of the NCCLS document M27-A, with 402 clinical isolates (360 Candida albicans, 17 Candida tropicalis, nine Candida krusei, nine Candida glabrata and seven Candida parapsilosis) and seven control isolates. The agreement between MICs by the two methods (at +/- 2 dilutions) was 74.5% for fluconazole and 61.4% for itraconazole. These results suggest that further development is necessary to standardize the medium and incubation conditions before introduction of the Etest as a routine method in the clinical microbiology laboratory for fluconazole and itraconazole susceptibility testing.
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