Abstract
Yeasts occur as part of the normal human microbiota. Nevertheless, some species are opportunistic, affecting immunocompromised patients such as those undergoing oncologic treatment. To detect the presence of yeasts in patients suffering from head and neck cancer who are receiving radiation therapy and display lesions in the oral cavity, compatible with candidiasis; and to evaluate the antifungal susceptibility of the isolates recovered. Sixty samples from patients were obtained by swabbing the oral mucosa. Identification of isolates were performed by classical taxonomic, morphological and biochemical methods as well as by using commercial identification kits. Susceptibility to antifungal drugs was determined by the agar diffusion method with Neosensitabs(®) disks. Forty-six samples (77%) yielded positive findings, and species recovered were: Candida albicans (22 isolates), Candidatropicalis (13 isolates), Candidaparapsilosis (six strains), Candidakrusei (three strains), Candidadubliniensis and Saccharomyces cerevisiae (one each). All strains were susceptible to itraconazole, clotrimazole, voriconazole, nystatin and amphotericin B. On the other hand, 65% of strains were miconazole-susceptible while 35%, showed intermediate susceptibility. With regard to ketoconazole, only three strains (7%) corresponding to C.albicans (one isolate) and C.krusei (two isolates) displayed intermediate susceptibility. Only C.krusei strains were resistant to fluconazole while all the other species were susceptible. Eventually, only six isolates (13%) were susceptible to terbinafine while the remaining strains were resistant in vitro. Early detection of etiological agents causing lesions, as well as the evaluation of their susceptibility to commonly used drugs, are crucial in order to choose the appropriate treatment that will minimize complications while improving the quality of patients' lives.
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