Abstract:

【Abstract】 Objective To evaluate the in vitro activity of seven imidazole antifungals against clinical isolates of common Candida species. Methods According to the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute （CLSI） microdilution method M27-A3, the in vitro activity of luliconazole, ketoconazole, miconazole, econazole, clotrimazole, sertaconazole and bifonazole was determined among 183 clinical isolates belonging to 5 species of Candida. Results The minimal inhibitory concentration range was 0.03－8（geometric mean: 0.067） mg/L for ketoconazole, 0.03－16 （geometric mean: 0.071） mg/L for miconazole, 0.03－8 （geometric mean: 0.207） mg/L for econazole, 0.03－8（geometric mean: 0.061） mg/L for clotrimazole, 0.03－16（geometric mean: 0.187） mg/L for sertaconazole and 0.03 －＞16（geometric mean: 1.050） mg/L for bifonazole. Luliconazole exhibited a superior activity against the 5 species of Candida in vitro, with the MIC range being 0.03－8 mg/L, geometric mean MIC 0.087 mg/L, MIC50 0.06 mg/L and MIC90 0.5 mg/L, respectively. However, some Candida isolates were identified to be relatively insensitive to these tested antifungals, including luliconazole. Conclusion All the tested imidazole antifungals, except for bifonazole, show an excellent activity against Candida species in vitro, but there exist a few Candida strains with relative insensitivity.

Key words: Luliconazole