A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF THE IN VITRO ACTIVITIES OF TWO ANTIFUNGAL AGENTS ON CANDIDA ALBICANS

Maduike B. A., *Braide W. and Adeleye S. A.

ABSTRACT

Candida albicans is the principal cause of candidiasis in women. A comparative study of the in vitro activities of two antifungal agents was carried out using clotrimazole and nystatin. Two hundred and fifteen (215) Candida albicans isolated from high vaginal swabs of different females with symptomatic cases of vaginal candidiasis were confirmed using Germ tube test. The minimal inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of the drugs on yeast isolates were determined by broth dilution susceptibility test and absorbance reading using spectrophotometer after 48 hours incubation at 27oC to obtain IC10 and IC50 of the drugs. The results showed that the treatment of Candida albicans with selected sub-lethal concentrations of nystatin (250 mg/l) and clotrimazole (125 mg/l) respectively can induce a reversion to yeast growth known as drug resistance. Clotrimazole produced more therapeutic effect for the inhibition of some isolates with IC50 between 20.04 mg/ml and 17.42 mg/ml while nystatin produced more therapeutic effect for the inhibition of other isolates with IC50 between 10.73 mg/ml and 16.37mg/ml. This shows that 25% drug is required to inhibit the isolates by the drug of choice. Nystatin and clotrimazole showed different therapeutic effects on the isolates due to fungal, drug or host factors. Therefore, adequate antifungal susceptibility testing should be performed on individual basis to ascertain the drug of choice before prescription.

Keywords: Antifungal drugs, Candida albicans, susceptibility test.