Candida Susceptibility Testing: Booking, Price, and Results

Candida susceptibility testing is a laboratory test that checks how well different antifungal medicines work against a Candida fungal infection in your body. It is also called antifungal susceptibility testing (AFST), the Candida antifungal sensitivity test, yeast susceptibility testing, or Candida MIC testing. Doctors order this test when standard antifungal treatments are not working or when the infection keeps coming back. The sample collected depends on where the infection is located in your body.

This test helps doctors identify the most effective antifungal medicine for a confirmed or suspected Candida infection, particularly when treatment resistance is possible.

Common Symptoms That May Require This Test

The following symptoms may prompt a doctor to order this test:

• White patches on the mouth, tongue, or throat (oral thrush)
• Persistent fever and chills that do not improve after antibiotic treatment
• Vaginal itching and unusual discharge
• Skin rashes in moist body areas
• Recurrent yeast infections that keep returning
• Persistent fatigue without a clear cause

Conditions This Test Can Help Detect

This test can help identify or confirm the following conditions:

• Candidiasis affecting the mouth, skin, or vagina
• Candidaemia (Candida in the bloodstream)
• Invasive candidiasis spreading to the heart, brain, eyes, bones, or joints
• Oropharyngeal candidiasis (oral thrush)
• Oesophageal candidiasis
• Vulvovaginal candidiasis (vaginal yeast infection)
• Antifungal-resistant Candida infections, including Candida auris

Candida Susceptibility Testing for Chronic Disease Monitoring

Patients with recurrent or chronic candidiasis may need this test periodically to check for emerging drug resistance. It is particularly useful for immunocompromised patients, such as those with HIV/AIDS, cancer patients on chemotherapy, or organ transplant recipients. The results guide ongoing treatment decisions when standard antifungal therapy appears to be failing.

The collection process varies by sample type. Below is how each type of sample is collected.

A trained healthcare professional collects the sample from the suspected site of infection. 

• Blood: A trained phlebotomist cleans the skin and draws venous blood from your arm using a needle into a sterile container.
• Ascitic fluid: A doctor performs a sterile needle aspiration from the abdominal cavity under clinical settings.
• BAL (bronchoalveolar lavage) / Bronchial fluid: A doctor passes a thin tube through the airways and flushes a small amount of fluid into the lungs, then collects it back for analysis.
• Bone marrow: A trained clinician performs a bone marrow aspiration using a specialised needle, typically from the hip bone, under local anaesthesia.
• CSF (cerebrospinal fluid): A doctor performs a lumbar puncture (spinal tap) to collect fluid from the space around the spinal cord under sterile conditions.
• Endotracheal secretion: For patients on a ventilator, secretions are collected from the breathing tube using a suction device by a healthcare professional.
• Gastric fluid: A doctor collects stomach fluid via a nasogastric tube passed through the nose into the stomach.
• Pericardial fluid / Peritoneal fluid / Pleural fluid / Synovial fluid: A doctor performs a sterile needle aspiration from the relevant body cavity (around the heart, abdomen, lungs, or joints) in a clinical setting.
• Sputum: You will be asked to cough deeply and expectorate (spit out) mucus directly into a sterile container.
• Urine: You provide a midstream clean-catch urine sample in a sterile container provided by the lab.
• Pus swab / Reproductive tract secretions swab / Swab (general): A healthcare professional uses a sterile cotton swab to collect material from the infected area, such as a wound, vaginal cavity, or oral cavity.
• Skin scraping: A trained technician gently scrapes skin scales from the affected area using sterile instruments.
• Nail: Nail fragments are clipped from the affected nail using sterile instruments.
• Hair clipping: Hair samples are collected from the affected area using sterile instruments.
• Tissue: A doctor performs a biopsy to collect a small piece of tissue from the infected site using surgical or needle techniques.
• Pure culture: An already isolated fungal culture from a laboratory is submitted directly for Candida susceptibility testing.

The sample is placed in a sterile container and transported to the laboratory under refrigerated conditions (2°C to 8°C).

In the laboratory, the sample is cultured to isolate and identify the Candida species present.

Your results indicate how the Candida isolate responds to each antifungal medicine tested. A doctor should always review your results alongside your clinical history, infection site, immune status, and overall health. The table below outlines how results are generally interpreted:

These ranges are general guidelines. Your doctor will interpret your results based on your age, health history, and other factors. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for personalised medical advice.

Results During Special Conditions

Certain health conditions and circumstances can affect how results are interpreted:

• A weakened immune system (due to HIV/AIDS, chemotherapy, transplant medications, or long-term steroids) increases the risk of candidiasis and may be associated with more resistant strains. 
• Prior antifungal therapy can select for resistant Candida strains, which may affect the susceptibility pattern seen in your results. 
• Critically ill patients, those with prolonged hospital stays, or those on parenteral nutrition face a higher risk of invasive infection, and results in these patients require careful clinical interpretation.

Candida susceptibility testing cost starts at ₹1,200, and home collection is available at Lupin Diagnostics for suitable sample types across cities. The following table shows indicative prices by city:

Prices are indicative and may vary by location. Please confirm the current price at the time of booking.