NCCLS announces new standard on antifungal susceptibility testing

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Villanova, Pennsylvania 19085. 18. Espincl-Ingroff, A. and M. Pfaller. 1995. Antifungal agents and susceptibility testing, p. 1405-1421. In P.K. Murray, E.J. Baron, M.A. Pfaller, et al. (ed.), Manual of clinical microbiology, 6th ed. American Society for Microbiology. Washington, D.C. 19. Pfaller, M.A., et al. 1995. Quality control guidelines for National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards---cecommended broth macrodilution testing of amphotericin B, fluconazole, and flucytosine. J. Clin. Mierobiol. 33:11041107. 19a.Rex, J.H., et al. 1996. Quality control guidelines for National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards---recommended broth macrodilution testing of ketoconazole and itraconazole. J. Clin. Microbiol. 34:816-817. 20. Pfaller, M.A. et al. 1994. Comparative evaluation of alternative methods for broth dilution susceptibility testing of fluconazole against Candida albicans. J. Clin. Microbiol. 32:506-509. 21. Anaissie, E, V. Paetzaick, and G.P. Bodey. 1991. Fluconazole susceptibility

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testing of Candida albicans: microtiter method that is independent of inoculum, size, temperature, and time of reading. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 35:1641-1646. 22. Pfaller, M.A., S.A. Messer, and S. Coffmann. 1995. Comparison of visual and spectrophotometric methods of MIC endpoint determinations by using broth microdilution method to test five antifungal agents including the new triazole D0870. J. Clin. Mierobiol. 33:10941097. 23. Espinel-Ingroff, A., J.L RodrfguezTudela, and J.V. Martlnez-Sufirez. 1995. Comparison of two microdilution methods with the reference macrodilution test M27-P for in vitro testing of fluconazole resistant and susceptible isolates of Candida albicans. J. Clin. Microbiol. 33:3154-3158. 24. Espinel-Ingroff, A. 1994. Etest for antifungal susceptibility testing of yeasts. Diagn. Microbiol. Infect. Dis. 19:217220. 25. Colombo, A.L., et al. 1995. Comparison of Etest and National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards broth

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macrodilution method for azole susceptibility testing. J. Clin. Microbiol. 33:535-540. 26. Espinel-Ingroff, A. et al. 1996. Interlaboratory evaluation of Etest method for antifungal susceptibility testing of pathogenic yeasts to five antifungal agents by using casitone agar and solidifled RPMI-1640 medium with 2% glucose. J. Clin. MicrobioL 34:848--852. 27. Espinel-Ingroff, A. et al. 1995. Comparative and collaborative evaluation of standardization antifungal susceptibility testing for filamentous fungi. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 39:314-319. 28. Espinel-Ingroff, A., et al. 1995. Second NCCLS evaluation of antifungal susceptibility testing of filamentous fungi. 35th lntersci. Conf. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. (Abstr. D37), p. 73. 29. Rex, J., et al. 1996. Development of interpretative breakpoints for antifungal susceptibility testing: conceptual framework and analysis of in vitro-in vivo correlation data for fluconazole, itraconazole, and Candida infections. Submitted.

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NCCLS Announces New Standard on Antifungal Susceptibility Testing NCCLS announces a new standard,

Reference Method for Broth Dilution Antifungal Susceptibility Testing of Yeasts; Tentative Standards (M27-T). With the increased incidence of systemic fungai infections and the growing number of antifungal agents, laboratory aids to guide in the selection of antifungal therapy have gained importance. The new standard describes a method for testing the susceptibility of antifungal agents to yeast fungi that cause invasive fungal infections, including Candida species, Torulopsis glabrata, and Cryptococcus neoformans variety

neoformans. Selection and preparation of antifungal agents, implementation and interpretation of test procedures, and the purpose and implementation of quality control procedures are discussed. A careful examination of the responsibilities of the manufacturer and the user in quality control is also presented. M27-T costs $15 for member organizations and $25 for nonmembers. Shipping and handling are $5.00 and $7,50, respectively. Payment is acceptedby check, VISA, Mastercard, or purchase order. Discounts are available for multi-

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Clinic~ Microbiology Newsletter 18:21,1996

copy purchases. For further information, please contact NCCLS at 610-6880100. NCCLS is an interdisciplinary, nonprofit organization that promotes the development and use of voluntary consensus standards within the patient testing community. NCCLS membership comprises medical laboratory professional associations, agencies of the federal and state governments, manufacturers of laboratory equipment and products, and individual laboratories and health care institutions.

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