Antifungal Drug Susceptibility

Shin, Jong Hee

Abstract

In the past two decades standardized in vitro antifungal susceptibility testing has been developed in responsive to increasing invasive fungal infections. Until now, antifungal susceptibility testing is not considered as a routine testing procedure in many laboratories. However, cumulative antifungal susceptibility data of fungi show that, because of the fungal organisms' different susceptibilities to antifungal agents, knowledge of the infecting fungal species is highly predictive of likely susceptibility and can be used as a guide to therapy. Recently, routine use of fluconazole susceptibility testing for Candida species is becoming recognized as a useful aid in optimizing treatment of candidiasis. This testing may be particularly useful in patients with recurrent mucosal candidiasis, and candidemia or invasive candidiasis who have been previously treated with azole antifungals, those whose infections are not responding to treatment, and those with infections caused by non-albicans species of Candida. As several new antifungal drugs have been or will be licensed in the next few years, it is very important for the clinicians to choose antifungal agents appropriately, while considering changing epidemiology and susceptibility trends.