Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute Publishes Method for Antifungal Disk Diffusion Susceptibility Testing of Nondermatophyte Filamentous Fungi Guideline and Supplement

WAYNE, PA--(Marketwire - June 08, 2010) -

Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) recently published “Method for Antifungal Disk Diffusion Susceptibility Testing of Nondermatophyte Filamentous Fungi; Approved Guideline” (M51-A) to respond to the need for alternative, simple, rapid, and cost-effective approaches for determining the antifungal susceptibility of nondermatophyte filamentous fungi.

Michael A. Pfaller, MD, University of Iowa College of Medicine, and member of the subcommittee that developed the guideline, says, “M51-A provides guidance for laboratories that are interested in performing disk diffusion testing of filamentous fungi. Azole resistance is now recognized as an emerging problem among clinical isolates of Aspergillus, and susceptibility testing will be important for both clinical and epidemiological purposes. Disk diffusion testing provides a simple and cost-effective way for laboratories to accomplish in vitro susceptibility testing for both yeasts and moulds. Whereas fluconazole disk diffusion testing of Candida isolates has been available for some time, the same approach has been lacking for the filamentous fungi. This has now been addressed by the publication of the M51 document.”

This CLSI document provides an established method for disk diffusion testing of moulds, zone interpretive criteria, and recommended control ranges for amphotericin B, caspofungin, itraconazole, posaconazole, and voriconazole.

This guideline is intended for use by, but not limited to, health care, academic, government, industry, or independent research organizations that perform antifungal susceptibility testing of filamentous fungi.

“Performance Standards for Antifungal Disk Diffusion Susceptibility Testing of Nondermatophyte Filamentous Fungi; Informational Supplement” (M51-S1), which provides quality control limits and epidemiological cutoff values for M51-A, is also available for purchase.

CLSI is a volunteer-driven, membership-supported, nonprofit organization dedicated to developing standards and guidelines for the health care and medical testing community through a consensus process that balances the perspectives of industry, government, and the health care professions. For additional information on CLSI, visit the CLSI website at www.clsi.org or call 610.688.0100.

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