A Hospital-based Study on the Detection of Fluconazole-resistant Candida albicans from Women with Vulvovaginal Candidiasis in Port Harcourt

Abstract

Fluconazole resistance in Candida albicans represents a significant global public health challenge. This study aimed to assess the susceptibility of C. albicans isolates from women with vulvovaginal candidiasis in Port Harcourt to fluconazole. Standard microbiological techniques were employed for the isolation and identification of C. albicans, including culture on Sabouraud dextrose agar (SDA) and microscopic examination using lactophenol cotton blue staining for presumptive identification. Antifungal susceptibility was evaluated using the agar well diffusion method. Of the twenty-five (25) samples analyzed, fifteen (15) yielded positive C. albicans isolates. These isolates were exposed to fluconazole at varying concentrations: 200 mg/mL (100%), 100 mg/mL (50%), 50 mg/mL (25%), and 25 mg/mL (12.5%). The results demonstrated that 60% of the isolates were fully susceptible to fluconazole, whereas 40% exhibited complete resistance. These findings underscore the importance of avoiding unnecessary or inappropriate fluconazole prescriptions, and highlight that long-term therapy should be guided by laboratory confirmation of susceptibility.