Fluconazole Susceptibility ofCandidaspp. Isolates Collected Over Nine Years in a Teaching Hospital of Ancona, Italy

The in vitro activity of fluconazole was investigated against 476 yeast isolates collected during a 9-year period (1997-2005) from patients hospitalised in a teaching hospital of Ancona. They included 373 isolates of Candida albicans, 53 of Candida glabrata and 50 of Candida parapsilosis. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) determined in accordance with the Clinical Laboratory Standards Institute methodology showed that 96% of the isolates were susceptible (MIC < or =8.0 microg/ml). The uncommon, resistant isolates (MIC > or =64 microg/ml) were randomly distributed over time. Our data show that resistance to fluconazole in this geographical area is a rare event and suggest that this triazole can still represent first-line therapy in our institution.

Antiseptic compounds still active against bacterial strains isolated from surgical wound infections despite increasing antibiotic resistance

The in vitro activities of povidone iodine, potassium peroxymonosulfate, and dimethyldidecylammonium chloride were investigated against 379 nosocomial isolates of Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa responsible for surgical wound infections in patients operated on between July 1995 and June 2001. Overall, the isolates were inhibited by the antiseptics at concentrations below those used routinely. In spite of increasing resistance to the various antibiotics used to treat surgical wound infections, no significant variation in the susceptibility to antiseptics was demonstrated during this 6-year study.

In vitro activities of membrane-active peptides against gram-positive and gram-negative aerobic bacteria

Four peptides, cecropin P1, magainin II, indolicidin, and ranalexin, were evaluated against 202 clinical isolates of gram-positive and gram-negative aerobic bacteria by a microbroth dilution method. The gram-negative isolates were more susceptible to cecropin P1. Ranalexin was the most active compound against the gram-positive strains. The bactericidal activity of each peptide was equivalent to, or 1 dilution above, the MIC. In conclusion, the four peptides exhibited different in vitro activities and rapid time-dependent killing.