Caspofungin Etest endpoint for Aspergillus isolates shows poor agreement with the reference minimum effective concentration.

The Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) M38-A2 reference broth microdilution (BMD) method for the antifungal susceptibility testing of filamentous fungi now includes guidelines for testing echinocandin activity using the minimum effective concentration (MEC) as the endpoint measurement. In this study, we compared the caspofungin Etest MIC on RPMI agar and Mueller-Hinton agar (supplemented with glucose and methylene blue [MGM]) to the BMD MEC for 345 clinical Aspergillus isolates, including A. flavus, A.

Antifungal activity of medicinal plant extracts; preliminary screening studies.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: In the setting of HIV and organ transplantation, opportunistic fungal infections have become a common cause of morbidity and mortality. Thus antifungal therapy is playing a greater role in health care. Traditional plants are a valuable source of novel antifungals.

Histoplasmosis cluster, golf course, Canada.

We report a cluster of 4 cases of acute histoplasmosis (1 culture proven and 3 with positive serology, of which 2 were symptomatic) associated with exposure to soil during a golf course renovation. Patients in western Canada with compatible symptoms should be tested for histoplasmosis, regardless of their travel or exposure history.