The in-vitro fungistatic and fungicidal activities of voriconazole were compared with those of itraconazole and amphotericin B. MICs for 110 isolates belonging to 11 species of filamentous fungi were determined by a broth microdilution adaptation of the method recommended by the National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards. Minimum lethal concentrations (MLCs) of the three antifungal agents were also determined. The MIC ranges of the three compounds were comparable for Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus fumigatus, Cladophialophora bantiana and Exophiala dermatitidis. Voriconazole and itraconazole were more active than amphotericin B against Fonsecaea pedrosoi, but the two azole agents were less active against Sporothrix schenckii. Voriconazole was more active than itraconazole or amphotericin B against Scedosporium apiospermum, but less active than the other two agents against two mucoraceous moulds, Absidia corymbifera and Rhizopus arrhizus. Voriconazole and amphotericin B were more active than itraconazole against Fusarium solani. With the exception of S. apiospermum, all the moulds tested had MLC50 values of < or =2 mg/L and MLC90 values of < or =4 mg/L against amphotericin B. Voriconazole and itraconazole showed fungicidal effects against five of the 1 1 moulds tested (A. flavus, A. fumigatus, C. bantiana, E. dermatitidis and F. pedrosoi) with MLC90 values of < or =2 mg/L. In addition, voriconazole was fungicidal for Phialophora parasitica. Our results suggest that voriconazole could be effective against a wide range of mould infections in humans.