Susceptibility of fungi isolated from the respiratory tract of falcons to amphotericin B, itraconazole and voriconazole

Vet Rec. 2006 Aug 26;159(9):282-4. doi: 10.1136/vr.159.9.282.

Abstract

The minimum inhibitory concentrations (mics) of fungi isolated from the air sacs of falcons before (group 1), and during antifungal treatment with amphotericin B nebulisation and oral itraconazole or voriconazole (group 2), or with itraconazole alone (group 3) or voriconazole alone (group 4) were determined. Before treatment, 95 per cent of the isolates, including Aspergillus fumigatus, Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus terreus, were susceptible to voriconazole at mics up to 0.38 microg/ml, and all the isolates were susceptible at mics up to 1 microg/ml. Before treatment, 21 per cent of the isolates, including A fumigatus (27.6 per cent), A flavus (16.6 per cent), A niger (100 per cent) and A terreus (23 per cent), were resistant (mic > or =1 microg/ml) to itraconazole; 51 per cent of the isolates, including A fumigatus (31 per cent), A flavus (78 per cent), A niger (14 per cent) and A terreus (77 per cent), had mics of over 1 microg/ml to amphotericin B, and after treatment their mics increased significantly. In contrast, there were no significant differences between the mics of voriconazole and itraconazole for the different Aspergillus species before and during treatment with these antifungal agents.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Air Sacs / microbiology
  • Amphotericin B / pharmacology
  • Amphotericin B / therapeutic use
  • Animals
  • Antifungal Agents / pharmacology
  • Antifungal Agents / therapeutic use*
  • Aspergillosis / drug therapy
  • Aspergillosis / veterinary*
  • Aspergillus / drug effects*
  • Bird Diseases / drug therapy*
  • Bird Diseases / microbiology
  • Colony Count, Microbial
  • Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
  • Drug Resistance, Fungal*
  • Falconiformes / microbiology*
  • Itraconazole / pharmacology
  • Itraconazole / therapeutic use
  • Microbial Sensitivity Tests / veterinary
  • Pyrimidines / pharmacology
  • Pyrimidines / therapeutic use
  • Species Specificity
  • Treatment Outcome
  • Triazoles / pharmacology
  • Triazoles / therapeutic use
  • Voriconazole

Substances

  • Antifungal Agents
  • Pyrimidines
  • Triazoles
  • Itraconazole
  • Amphotericin B
  • Voriconazole