The action of miconazole of the growth of Candida albicans.

The growth of Candida albicans was studied in control cultures and in the presence of miconazole or clotrimazole. Each drug prolonged the lag phase and reduced the total final population. Although miconazole, at the low concentrations used, was a less potent inhibitor than clotrimazole in the main logarithmic phase, it was more fungicidal. The antifungal activity of miconazole on C. albicans was inversely proportional to the number of cells inoculated in the media. The effects of miconazole on growth depended on the nutrients in the medium and were most pronouncedwhen it was added to cultures of C. albicans in the lag and main logarithmic phase of growth. The growth inhibitory effects of sub-fungicidal doses of micronazole (smaller than or equal to 10-6 M) on C. albicans seemed to be reversible.