Efficacy of Prophylactic and Early Fluconazole Treatment on Systemic Candidiasis in Experimentally Neutropenic Rabbits

Abstract

The efficacy of prophylactic and early fluconazole treatment on experimental systemic candidiasis was investigated in neutropenic rabbits. Fifteen rabbits were used and divided into three groups: fluconazole was started 24 h before the inoculation of Candida albicans in the first group, and 24 h after the inoculation in the second group. The third group was the control group without antifungal therapy. Prophylactic and early fluconazole treatment for 7 days after C. albicans inoculation did not reduce the mortality and tissue culture positivity in the rabbits significantly. Four of the five rabbits survived 7 days both in the prophylactic and early treatment groups. However, only one rabbit survived for 7 days in the control group. In diagnostic procedures, histopathological examination and evaluation with periodic acid-Schiff stain was found to be the most sensitive. In this study, prophylactic and early fluconazole treatment were found to be insufficent for treatment of systemic candidiasis in neutropenic rabbits.