ObjectiveTo test the susceptibility of Penicilliosis marneffei (PM) isolates from Guangxi bamboo rats and patients to voriconazole and several commonly used antifungal agents.MethodsAccording to the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute(CLSI) M27-A2 and M38-A document,a microdilution method was used to determine the minimum inhibitory concentration(MIC) of voriconazole,itraconazole,terbinafine,amphotericin B,and fluconazole against mycelial phase (25 ℃) and yeast phase (37 ℃) of 14 PM isolates from Guangxi Bamboo rats and 25 PM isolates from patients.The difference in MIC of the antifungals was assessed by two-sample t test between Bamboo rat PM isolates and clinical PM isolates,and by paired t test between the mycelial and yeast phase of PM isolates.Results The MIC ranges of voriconazole,itraconazole,terbinafine,amphoteriein B and fluconazole were 0.0313-0.1250,0.1250-1.0000,0.0313-0.5000,0.2500-4.0000,2.0000-8.0000 mg/L,respectively for mycelial phase of Bamboo rat PM isolates,0.0078-0.2500,0.0313-0.5000,0.0313-1.0000,0.2500-2.0000,1.0000-8.0000 mg/L,respectively for yeast phase of Bamboo rat PM isolates,0.0313-0.2500,0.0625-1.0000,0.0313-1.0000,0.2500-4.0000,2.0000-32.0000 mg/L,respectively for mycelial phase of clinical PM isolates,0.0039-0.2500,0.0313-0.5000,0.0313-2.0000,0.1250-2.0000,2.0000-16.0000 mg/L,respectively for yeast phase of clinical PM isolates.None of the PM isolates was resistant to any of the antifungals.The MIC of voriconazole was found to be the lowest for PM isolates from both Bamboo rats and patients at the same temperature (37 ℃ or 25 ℃),followed by itraconazole,terbinafine,amphotericin B and fluconazole.Statistical difference was found in the MIC values of itraconazole,terbinafine,amphotericin B between the yeast and mycelial phase of the same PM isolate,but not found in antifungal MIC values between Bamboo rat isolates and clinical isolates at the same phase.ConclusionsOf the tested drugs,voriconazole shows the strongest antifungal potency. The PM isolates from Guangxi Bamboo rats are similar to clinical PM isolates in the sensitivity to voriconazole,itraconazole,terbinafine,amphotericin B and fluconazole.The phase of PM isolates may affect their susceptibility to itraconazole,amphotericin B and terbinafine.

Objective To screen the active tuberculosis patients among HIV infected patients,and investigate the diagnostic methods for active tuberculosis among TB/HIV co-infected patients.Methods From August 2006 to March 2007,660 HIV/AIDS patients were enrolled.The study was conducted at 4 authorized hospitals for AIDS in Nanning and Liuzhou.Chest X-ray(CXR),acid-fast stain test of sputum smear and fast culture were applied if CD+4 T cell counts were below 350 cells/mm3 or the patients at least have one suspected symptom.Result The CD<;+>4 T cell count in 76.1% (502/660) of the patients was less than 200 cells/mm3.TB/HIV coinfection was found in 22.9% (151/660) of the HIV patients.Among them,74.8% (113/151) of them were pulmonary TB patients.One third of them were extra-pulmonary TB patients,and 68.1% of them involved lymph node.In 264 patients with negative sputum smear test and CXR,20.1% (53/264) of them showed positive results in fast culture tests.In addition,the non-tuberculosis mycobacterium (NTM) infection accounted for 38.5% culture positive cases.Conclusions The TB/HIV coinfection rate is 22.8%.Liquid rapid culture of sputum plays an import role in diagnosing of active tuberculosis among HIV patients.There are considerable proportions of NTM or extra-pulmonary TB coinfection in HIV patients.