[Comparison of three antifungal susceptibility testing methods for the in vitro testing of Candida isolates from patients with HIV infection].

The MIC values of fluconazole were determined for 96 Candida isolates (56 C. albicans, 15 C. glabrata, 9 C. krusei and 10 C. tropicalis). The methods employed for antifungal susceptibility testing were: microdilution according to the protocol M27-P of the NCCLS (M 27-Pmicro) using RPMI 1640 medium or HR medium following Troke & Pye (HRmicro) as well as the agar diffusion method by means of the Etest (YNB agar). The in vitro results were compared with the clinical outcome of patients. All C. albicans isolates received from AIDS patients with fluconazole-refractory candidosis showed MICs of > or = 6.25 mg/ml (M27-Pmicro) or > or = 25 mg/ml (MRmicro) and Etest). On the other hand some MICs of C. albicans isolates from AIDS patients with fluconazole-sensitive candidosis were also beyond these breakpoints. Therefore, a possible success of a fluconazole therapy cannot unequivocally be predicted from the MIC value determined in vitro.