The activity of micafungin against clinical isolates of non-albicans Candida spp.

Infections caused by non-albicans Candida spp. are an important medical problem in people from risk groups, e.g. hematooncological patients. The aim of this paper was to analyse the in vitro activity of micafungin against 30 clinical isolates of non-albicans Candida spp. (C. glabrata, C. famata, C. tropicalis, C. inconspicua, C. lusitaniae, C. parapsilosis, C. krusei) by way of the E-test procedure, allowing determination of minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC). Data presented in this paper indicate that most of the studied clinical isolates - 27 (90%) showed sensitivity to micafungin, with MIC values ranging from 0.004 to 2 mg/l, while 3 (10%) isolates, including 2 isolates of C. tropicalis and 1 isolate of C. famata, were resistant to micafungin, with MIC values > 32 mg/l. The MIC₅₀ and MIC₉₀ values of micafungin, defined as MIC inhibited growth of 50% or 90% of the isolates studied, were 0.008 mg/l or 2 mg/l, respectively. In the case of C. glabrata isolates, MICs ranged from 0.004 to 0.016 mg/l, while MIC₅₀ was 0.004 mg/l and MIC₉₀ - 0.008 mg/l. Our data confirm the utility of micafungin for the therapy of the infections caused by non-albicans Candida spp., especially C. glabrata.