A comparative evaluation of Etest and broth microdilution methods for fluconazole and itraconazole susceptibility testing of Candida spp.
Open Access
- 1 April 1999
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Oxford University Press (OUP) in Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy
- Vol. 43 (4), 477-481
- https://doi.org/10.1093/jac/43.4.477
Abstract
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 6∓ 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.Keywords
This publication has 9 references indexed in Scilit:
- Comparison of Etest, microdilution and colorimetric dilution with reference broth macrodilution method for antifungal susceptibility testing of clinically significant Candida species isolated from immunocompromised patientsMycoses, 1997
- Evaluation of the E test for fluconazole susceptibility testing ofCandida albicans isolates from oropharyngeal candidiasisEuropean Journal of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases, 1997
- Development of Interpretive Breakpoints for Antifungal Susceptibility Testing: Conceptual Framework and Analysis of In Vitro-In Vivo Correlation Data for Fluconazole, Itraconazole, and Candida InfectionsClinical Infectious Diseases, 1997
- Standardization of antifungal susceptibility testingJournal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy, 1996
- Evaluation of the E test system versus a microtitre broth method for antifungal susceptibility testing of yeasts against fluconazole and itraconazoleJournal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy, 1995
- Defining conditions for microbroth antifungal susceptibility tests: influence of RPMI and RPMI-2% glucose on the selection of endpoint criteriaJournal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy, 1995
- Etest for antifungal susceptibility testing of yeastsDiagnostic Microbiology and Infectious Disease, 1994
- A Controlled Trial of Fluconazole to Prevent Fungal Infections in Patients Undergoing Bone Marrow TransplantationNew England Journal of Medicine, 1992
- Evaluation of the E test, a novel method of quantifying antimicrobial activityJournal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy, 1991