Drug susceptibility of Candida albicans and non-albicans Candida species isolated from ornamental birds

Background and Objectives: The prevalence of Candida infections, especially by non-albicans Candida species, has led to excessive use of antifungal drugs, resulting in the transfer of resistance and increased minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) among Candida isolates. This study aimed to investigate the susceptibility of clinical Candida isolates of ornamental birds to three antifungal drugs: amphotericin B, caspofungin, and itraconazole. Materials and Methods: Totally 126 samples were analyzed, from which 116 distinct colonies were cultured. Of these, 26 were identified as Candida spp., comprising 12 C. albicans (46.1%), 8 C. tropicalis (30%), 1 C. glabrata (3%), 1 C. krusei (3%), and 4 isolates (15%) of other Candida species. The present study aimed to determine the susceptibility and resistance levels of these Candida isolates to three antifungal drugs: amphotericin B, caspofungin, and itraconazole. Results: According to the CLSI M44 recommended method, by the disk diffusion method, itraconazole (100%) and ampho- tericin B (86.46%) showed the best susceptibility pattern, compared to caspofungin (0%). Conclusion: Given that the isolates showed the highest in vitro susceptibility to itraconazole and amphotericin B and the lowest to caspofungin, these findings suggest that itraconazole and amphotericin B could be considered potential first-line agents for treating avian candidiasis.