Fluconazole Susceptibilities ofCandida Species andDistribution ofSpecies Recovered fromBloodCultures overa 5-Year Period

Thedistribution andfluconazole susceptibilities ofCandida species isolated over a 5-year period were investigated. Susceptibilities were determined byusing a new microtiter procedure andtheNational Committee forClinical Laboratory Standards (NCCLS)proposed standard. Thenew methodcorrelated well withtheNCCLS proposed standard andgave very clearendpoints. Results indicate thatthere are species-related differences inMICsasreflected intheMICsfor90%ofspecies tested. Candida albicans ismost susceptible tofluconazole, while Candida glabrata isamong theleast susceptible. Thesefindings coincided with theobservation ofa shift indistribution ofyeastspecies recovered frombloodcultures from1987to1992. C. albicans was thepredominant species (87%) inthepre-orearly fluconazole yearsbutdecreased toonly31% oftheisolates in1992. Thus, Candida species forwhichMICsoffluconazole were higher havebecomemore prominent inrecent years.Significantly, throughout thisperiod, MICsforeachspecies didnotchange appreciably.