Candida glabrata: an emergent opportunist in vulvovaginitis

Background: Candida genus has various species. The incidence of C. glabrata has presented itself with more frequency over the past years with clinical importance. Methods: A case study was made to determine the frequency of C. glabrata in 468 patients who presented clinical symptomatology for vulvovaginal candidiasis and the in vitro response for fluconazole using two methods: diffusion in agar plates and microdilution in liquid medium [NCLSI (NCCLS) method]. Results: The frequency for this specie was 12.6%, almost double the frequency observed 10 years ago. The resistance of C. glabrata to fluconazole treatment was confirmed in this study, representing 68.2% resistance in all strains on test plates and 51.2% on NCLSI method with a MIC of 16 mu g/ml. Conclusions: The frequency of Candida glabrata has increased over the past years. It presents resistance to usual treatments, which promotes the persistence and recurrence of genital and systemic infections.