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Fluconazole and itraconazole susceptibility of vaginal yeast isolates from Slovakia

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Abstract

Vulvovaginal candidiasis is a common mucosal infection caused by opportunistic yeasts of the Candida genus. In this study, we isolated and identified the yeast species in the vagina of patients treated in the gynecology clinic and tested in vitro activities of fluconazole and itraconazole against 227 clinical yeast isolates by the NCCLS microdilution method. C. albicans (87.6%) was the most frequently identified species followed by C. glabrata (6.2%) and C. krusei (2.2%). Almost thirteen percent of yeast strains were resistant to fluconazole and 18.5% were resistant to itraconazole. Cross-resistance analyses of C. albicans isolates revealed that fluconazole resistance and itraconazole resistance were also associated with decreased susceptibilities to other azole derivatives mainly to ketoconazole and miconazole. At the same time no cross-resistance to polyene antibiotics amphotericin B and nystatin was observed. These results support the notion that antifungal agents used to treat vaginitis may be contributing to the drug resistance problem by promoting cross-resistance to a range of clinically used antifungals.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. 1st Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University, Zochova 7, 811 03, Bratislava, Slovak Republic

    Monika Sojakova & Miroslav Borovsky

  2. Department of Microbiology and Virology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University, Mlynska dolina B-2, 842 15, Bratislava, Slovak Republic

    Denisa Liptajova & Julius Subik

Authors
  1. Monika Sojakova
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  2. Denisa Liptajova
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  3. Miroslav Borovsky
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  4. Julius Subik
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Correspondence to Julius Subik.

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Sojakova, M., Liptajova, D., Borovsky, M. et al. Fluconazole and itraconazole susceptibility of vaginal yeast isolates from Slovakia. Mycopathologia 157, 163–169 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1023/B:MYCO.0000020594.35357.b0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/B:MYCO.0000020594.35357.b0

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