Comparison of microdilution method and E-test procedure in susceptibility testing of caspofungin against Candida non-albicans species

New Microbiol. 2008 Apr;31(2):257-62.

Abstract

It is widely known that systemic and mucosal candidiasis caused by Candida non-albicans strains endangers the lives of hospitalised patients since these pathogens are extremely difficult to defeat by commonly used antifungal agents. The present study determined the in vitro activities of a novel antimicotic drug - caspofungin - against 76 Candida non-albicans isolates by means of the CLSI reference method for broth dilution antifungal susceptibility testing of yeasts and the E-test procedure for comparison. Caspofungin was efficacious against the majority of strains tested, with the average MICs90 evaluated by the microdilution method and E-tests amounting to 1 mg/l and 0.5 mg/l, respectively. Since the agreement between MICs within +/-2 dilutions obtained by these two techniques was 92% (Kappa coefficient of 0.92), the E-test procedure seems to be a reliable alternative to the broth microdilution method and may provide another choice for clinical laboratories.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Evaluation Study

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Antifungal Agents / pharmacology*
  • Candida / drug effects*
  • Candida / isolation & purification
  • Candidiasis / microbiology
  • Caspofungin
  • Echinocandins / pharmacology*
  • Humans
  • Lipopeptides
  • Microbial Sensitivity Tests / methods

Substances

  • Antifungal Agents
  • Echinocandins
  • Lipopeptides
  • Caspofungin