[Antifungal susceptibility of Acremonium species using E-test and Sensititre]. / Sensibilidad a antifúngicos de especies de Acremonium mediante los metodos E-test y Sensititre.

ABSTRACT

Filamentous fungi have become a common cause of severe infections, especially in immunocompromised patients. In recent years, the number and diversity of the infections caused by Acremonium species have increased and numerous species have been implicated. As is the case for most emerging pathogens, the optimal therapeutic approach to Acremonium species remains to be determined. We used two methods to determine the in vitro susceptibility to amphotericin B, itraconazole and fluconazole for 15 clinical isolates of eight different species of Acremonium. The MICs were determined according to protocol M38-A of the National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards (NCCLS) document, using the Sensititre and E-test microdilution methods. Amphotericin B was effective in vitro for few species using the Sensititre method. However, high MICs were obtained with E-test. Fluconazole and itraconazole were ineffective according to both methods. Acremonium species are generally resistant to the most commonly used antifungal agents. Consequently, Acremonium susceptibility testing is recommended to assist in choosing adequate treatment of infections caused by this filamentous fungus.