X-Plate Technology: a new method for detecting fluconazole resistance in Candida species

J Med Microbiol. 2013 May;62(Pt 5):720-726. doi: 10.1099/jmm.0.054445-0. Epub 2013 Feb 1.

Abstract

Candida species are responsible for many opportunistic fungal infections. Fluconazole is a well-tolerated antifungal drug, commonly used in the treatment of candidiasis. However, with fluconazole resistance ever increasing, rapid detection and antifungal susceptibility testing of Candida is imperative for proper patient treatment. This paper reports a cost-effective, simple and rapid chromogenic agar dilution method for simultaneous Candida species identification and fluconazole susceptibility testing. The results obtained by X-Plate Technology were in absolute concordance with standard microbroth dilution assays. Analysis of 1383 clinical patient samples with suspected vulvovaginal candidiasis revealed that this technology was able to detect and speciate the Candida isolate and determine the fluconazole susceptibility. The prevalence and susceptibility profiles of the clinical isolates using this method were highly similar to published reports using the microbroth dilution method.

MeSH terms

  • Antifungal Agents / pharmacology*
  • Candida / classification
  • Candida / drug effects*
  • Chromogenic Compounds / chemistry
  • Colony Count, Microbial
  • Cost-Benefit Analysis
  • Culture Media / chemistry
  • Drug Resistance, Fungal
  • Fluconazole / pharmacology*
  • Humans
  • Microbial Sensitivity Tests / economics
  • Microbial Sensitivity Tests / methods*
  • Microbial Sensitivity Tests / standards

Substances

  • Antifungal Agents
  • Chromogenic Compounds
  • Culture Media
  • Fluconazole