Helen Priscila Rodrigues Martins, Mariana Clivati da Silva, Luciene Cássia Farias Paiva, Terezinha Inez Estivalet Svidzinski, Marcia Edilaine Lopes Consolaro
DOI: 10.2340/00015555-1194

The aim of this study was to determine and compare the efficacy of treatment with fluconazole and nystatin in Brazilian women with vaginal Candida. In a population of 932 women, vaginal cultures were performed for yeasts, whether or not the women showed signs and symptoms of vulvovaginal candidiasis. Yeasts were isolated from 12.2% of the women (114/932): 53.2% of the yeasts were Candida albicans, 27.0% C. glabrata, 13.5% C. tropicalis and 6.3% C. parapsilosis. Treatment was carried out with both drugs. The overall mean cure rates with fluconazole (87.0%) and nystatin (74.0%) were similar; among women with non-albicans, the cure rate with fluconazole was 100%, whereas that with nystatin was 44.4%. The cure rate for women with C. albicans was high with both fluconazole and nystatin; however, for those with non-albicans species the cure rate was excellent with fluconazole and very low with nystatin, differing from the majority of in vitro studies.