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.
Candida albicans - C. glabrata - drug resistance - fluconazole - itraconazole