Antifungal drugs resistance profiles of C. albicans strains isolated from the oral cavity of children and adolescents

Fungi, mainly yeast-like fungi of the Candida genus, and especially the species Candida albicans, occupy an important place among microorganisms that colonize the oral cavity. The aim of the paper was to assess the susceptibility of different strains to some antifungal drugs. The study material consisted of swab samples taken from the buccal mucosa of 376 healthy individuals of both genders, from neonate to18 years. C. albicans strains were isolated in 79 persons. To evaluate drug resistance phenotypes of the isolated C. albicans strains FungitestTM (Bio-Rad) was used. The study showed that in different age groups the percentage of the tested C. albicans isolates susceptible to all the tested azole drugs varied from 76% to 95%. Drug resistant strains were found only in the eldest age group (4.8%). Phenotypic diversity (drug resistance types) of the studied isolates indicates a wide range of adaptation possibilities enabling colonization of various ecological niches in the oral cavity ecosystem. The presence of C. albicans strains intermediate or resistant to azole drugs among the tested isolates may be due to overuse of that drug group in general therapy and in the oral cavity treatment.