Ketoconazole therapy for fungal urinary tract infections

Ketoconazole was used in 11 patients to treat 12 episodes of fungal urinary infections: 6 in the upper urinary tract and 6 presumed to be in the lower urinary tract. Five patients had catheters in place. Of the 12 infections 8 were caused by Candida species, 1 by mixed Candida tropicalis and Torulopsis glabrata, and 3 by Torulopsis glabrata. Ketoconazole was administered orally at doses of 200 to 800 mg. per day for courses ranging from 5 days to more than 2 years. Five episodes of Candida urinary tract infection resolved in association with ketoconazole therapy, while only 1 of the Torulopsis glabrata infections improved. Our findings suggest that ketoconazole may be of some benefit in yeast urinary tract infections. However, the role of ketoconazole in relation to other antifungal drugs is not yet clear.