Antifungal activity of itraconazole and voriconazole against clinical isolates obtained from animals with mycoses.

Animal mycosis, particularly deep mycosis, is one of the most challenging conditions encountered by veterinarians. Pathogens causing mycotic infections in animals include fungi such as Cryptococcus neoformans, Candida spp., and Aspergillus spp. The antifungal drugs used for the treatment of deep mycoses in animals as well as humans are polyenes and azoles. However, the sensitivity of clinical isolates obtained from animals toward these drugs has rarely been assayed. In this study, the antifungal activities of itraconazole and voriconazole against clinical isolates of C. neoformans, Candida spp., and A. fumigatus isolated from animals with mycoses were examined using the broth microdilution method performed according to the guidelines provided by the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of itraconazole toward the C. neoformans, Candida spp., and A. fumigatus isolates were 0.125 - 1, 0.125 - 2, and 0.25 - 2 microg/ml, respectively, and those of voriconazole were 0.0625 - 0.5, < or =0.0313 - 0.0625, and 0.0625 - 1 microg/ml, respectively. The results of the MIC analyses implied that the fungal isolates obtained from infected animals exhibit an equivalent degree of susceptibility to itraconazole and voriconazole, as is observed in the case of isolates obtained from humans. The appropriate antifungal therapeutic strategy for the treatment of mycoses in animals must be selected taking into consideration the host immune status and organ function as well as the in vitro sensitivity of the pathogens to antifungal drugs.