I test di sensibilità ai farmaci antifungini (AST) in Italia: analisi di due indagini conoscitive a livello nazionale (1999 e 2004)

The purpose of this study was to verify the standard procedures and minimum level of knowledge of Italian public laboratories involved in the management of antifungal susceptibility testing (AST).Two nation-wide surveys were performed in 1999 and 2004. 102 Italian hospitals located in 85 province capitals (82.5%) participated to these surveys. In 1999, 28 (27.5%) laboratories versus 16 (15.7%) in 2004 stated that they did not perform any susceptibility testing. Some discrepancies observed in the survey confirm that AST is difficult to be correctly managed, and that it can be performed only in very well-trained centers. The great variability of the results of MIC determination and clinical interpretation underlines the urgent need to improve knowledge about indications, method choice and interpretative criteria for AST both for clinical microbiologists and clinicians.