Abstract
To evaluate the fungicidal effects of antifungal agents quickly, we developed a new antimycotic susceptibility test using neutral red (NR). Trichophyton mentagrophytes treated with various concentrations of antifungal agents for 5 days was stained with NR and washed with 4% formol-1% calcium chloride. The NR incorporated into viable cells was extracted with 0.1M acetic acid-50% ethanol. The minimum fungicidal consentrations of antifungal agents were determined from the results of NR absorbencies (A 540), and were compatible with previously described MICs. This newly-developed method will provide a simple, rapid and quantitative procedure for measuring the minimum fungicidal concentrations of antifungal agents.
