Search results for "antifungal agents"
showing 10 items of 229 documents
Differentiation of Candida parapsilosis, C. orthopsilosis, and C. metapsilosis by specific PCR amplification of the RPS0 intron
2011
Although Candida parapsilosis is the most prevalent among the 3 species of the *psilosis group, studies applying DNA-based diagnostic techniques with isolates previously identified as C. parapsilosis have revealed that both C. orthopsilosis and C. metapsilosis account for 0-10% of all these isolates, depending on the geographical area. Differences in the degrees of antifungal susceptibility and virulence have been found, so a more precise identification is required. In a first approach, we reidentified 38 randomly chosen clinical isolates, previously identified as C. parapsilosis, using the RPO2 (CA2) RAPD marker. Among them, we reclassified 4 as C. metapsilosis and 5 as C. orthopsilosis. W…
Colorimetric susceptibility testing for Aspergillus fumigatus: comparison of menadione-augmented 3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazo…
1996
Two colorimetric methods that use Alamar Blue or 3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) for assaying the in vitro activities of antifungal agents have been described. We report that both tests performed similarly when the antifungal activity of amphotericin B against Candida albicans was determined. However, only the MTT test generated interpretable data when Aspergillus fumigatus was used.
Voriconazole inhibits biofilm formation in different species of the genus Candida
2012
To determine the ability of voriconazole to inhibit the formation of biofilms.A total of 38 blood isolates of Candida spp. (8 Candida albicans, 10 Candida tropicalis, 10 Candida glabrata, 7 Candida parapsilosis sensu stricto and 3 Candida orthopsilosis) and C. albicans ATCC 90028 and ATCC 64548 were assessed. Biofilm formation was quantified using XTT reduction assays. The inhibition of biofilm formation was determined (i) in the presence of 0.06 and 0.25 mg/L voriconazole, and (ii) on surfaces previously coated with 0.06, 0.25, 1, 4 and 16 mg/L voriconazole.Voriconazole reduced biofilm formation under both conditions, the extent depending on the species, isolate and drug concentration. In …
Candida and Candidiasis: The Cell Wall as a Potential Molecular Target for Antifungal Therapy
2004
The fungal species Candida albicans is an opportunistic pathogen, which causes serious infections in humans, particularly in immunocompromised patients. Depending on the underlying host defect, C. albicans causes a variety of infections, ranging from superficial mucocutaneous candidiasis to life-threatening disseminated infections. Both the limited spectrum of antifungal drugs currently in clinical use and the emergence of resistances make necessary the development of new effective antifungal drugs with minimal side effects; however, such a research is limited by the small number of specific target sites identified to date. The cell wall is a fungal specific dynamic structure essential to a…
Antifungal prophylaxis for invasive mycoses in high risk patients.
2006
New broader spectrum antifungal agents with favorable safety profiles have been available for the last 15 years making prophylaxis feasible. The purpose of this article is to review recent studies in patient populations at high risk for invasive fungal infections.Itraconazole, lipid formulations of amphotericin B, posaconazole, caspofungin and micafungin have been utilized for prophylaxis in different immunocompromised host settings. Itraconazole and caspofungin remain an option especially in patients with hematological diseases. Low dose liposomal amphotericin B shows a lower morbidity rate in patients treated for acute myeloid leukemia. Posaconazole demonstrated survival benefits in this …
Epidemiological cutoff values for fluconazole, itraconazole, posaconazole, and voriconazole for six Candida species as determined by the colorimetric…
2013
ABSTRACT In the absence of clinical breakpoints (CBP), epidemiological cutoff values (ECVs) are useful to separate wild-type (WT) isolates (without mechanisms of resistance) from non-WT isolates (those that can harbor some resistance mechanisms), which is the goal of susceptibility tests. Sensititre YeastOne (SYO) is a widely used method to determine susceptibility of Candida spp. to antifungal agents. The CLSI CBP have been established, but not for the SYO method. The ECVs for four azoles, obtained using MIC distributions determined by the SYO method, were calculated via five methods (three statistical methods and based on the MIC 50 and modal MIC). Respectively, the median ECVs (in mg/lit…
Comparison of disc diffusion assay with the CLSI reference method (M27-A2) for testing in vitro posaconazole activity against common and uncommon yea…
2007
Objectives To evaluate the suitability of disc diffusion (DD) assay for testing posaconazole activity and to corroborate its activity against recently isolated yeasts by the CLSI reference microdilution M27-A2 method. Methods A total of 224 yeast isolates (7 species with 52 to 11 isolates each, and 15 species with 1 to 6 isolates) were evaluated, 125 were recent bloodstream isolates, 30 isolates from other sources and six ATCC isolates that included amphotericin B-resistant Candida albicans ATCC 200955, Candida lusitaniae (ATCC 200950, 200951, 200952 and 200953) and amphotericin B- and itraconazole-resistant Candida tropicalis ATCC 200956. MICs were determined at 24 and 48 h by following th…
In vitro and in vivo anticryptococcal activities of a new pyrazolo-isothiazole derivative
2003
We investigated the activity of a pyrazolo-isothiazole derivative (G8) against Cryptococcus neoformans. A first screening test showed that G8 at 10 mg/L inhibited the growth of 14 of 15 clinical isolates tested. Killing experiments showed that fungicidal activity was achieved after 8 h of treatment with G8 at concentrations > or =10 mg/L. In a murine model of systemic cryptococcosis, G8 was effective at prolonging survival compared with the controls. Our data indicate that this new derivative has a potential therapeutic role in infections caused by C. neoformans.
Comparison between Disk Diffusion and Microdilution Methods for Determining Susceptibility of Clinical Fungal Isolates to Caspofungin
2007
ABSTRACT We compared the caspofungin (CAS) susceptibility testing results generated by the disk diffusion (DD) assay with the results of the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) broth microdilution (BD) reference method for 106 yeast isolates. The isolates represented 11 different fungal species, including Candida albicans ( n = 50), C. parapsilosis ( n = 10), C. glabrata ( n = 10), C. tropicalis ( n = 10), C. guillermondii ( n = 6), C. rugosa ( n = 5), C. krusei ( n = 5), C. kefyr ( n = 2), C. pelliculosa ( n = 2), Saccharomyces cerevisiae ( n = 3), and Geotrichum candidum ( n = 3). The DD assay was performed in supplemented Mueller-Hinton agar with CAS, which was tested at c…
incidence and risk factors of bacterial sepsis and invasive fungal infection in neonates and infants requiring major surgery: an Italian multicentre …
2022
Background: Limited data are currently available on the incidence rates and risk factors for bacterial sepsis and invasive fungal infections (IFIs) among neonates and infants undergoing major surgery. Aim: To assess the incidence of bacterial sepsis and IFI, fungal colonization, risk factors for sepsis, and mortality in neonates and infants aged <3 months undergoing major surgery. Methods: A multicentre prospective study was conducted involving 13 level-3 neonatal intensive care units in Italy, enrolling all infants aged ≤3 months undergoing major surgery. Findings: From 2018 to 2021, 541 patients were enrolled. During hospitalization, 248 patients had a bacterial infection, and 23 patie…