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Yeasts can adhere to medical implants and cause infections responsible for high morbidity and mortality among hospitalized patients. The objective of this study is to investigate the infectivity on peripheral vascular catheters collected from general surgery and cardiology in University Hospital of Tlemcen. The results showed that from 29 samples altered by yeast, 35 Candida sp. strains were isolated. However, Candida albicans is the most isolated species in an infectious context. Risk factors that accompanied the infections are the duration of implantation, male gender, and bacterial presence., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

The Candida yeasts are the fourth leading cause of death from systemic infections, the risk may increase when the infection also involves bacteria. Yeasts and bacteria can adhere to medical implants, such as peripheral vascular catheters, and form a multicellular structures called "mixed biofilms" more resistant to antimicrobials agents. However, the formation of mixed biofilms on implants leads to long-term persistent infections because they can act as reservoirs of pathogens that have poorly understood interactions., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Mixed-species biofilms constitute a reservoir of infection for a group of bacteria and yeasts that coexist on the same support. Peripheral venous catheters make up a good surface for the attachment of microorganisms that promote biofilm formation and this requires complex strategies for antimicrobial treatments., Objective: No such studies on formation mixed biofilms have ever been conducted in Algeria. Therefore, we evaluated the potential for the formation of mixed-species biofilms by Candida albicans and some bacterial species isolated from peripheral vascular catheters at the University Hospital of Tlemcen, in Algeria., Results: The results obtained showed that C. albicans have the potential to form mixed biofilms with three bacteria (Enterobacter cloacae, Bordetella spp. and Serratia liquefaciens) isolated from the same catheter as the yeasts. The amount of biofilms produced varies depending on the species and the composition of the growth medium. Observations by scanning electron microscopy showed that the structure of the mixed biofilm depends on the surface support the biofilm was formed on, and varies with the species., Conclusion: A competition was noted between bacteria and yeasts; it depends on the composition of the medium and its pH, which both play an important role in promoting the dominance of one over the other., (Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.)

Fungal infections are a major cause of morbidity and mortality, and are frequently associated with the implantation of vascular catheters, especially in immune-compromised patients. Unfortunately, the therapeutic arsenal available for the treatment of these infections, caused generally by the yeasts of the genus Candida is still limited because of the toxicity and/or of the emergence of resistance against some antifungal agents. That is why we have undertaken this study, which is to determine the incidence and the degree of sensitivity of Candida spp., isolated from peripheral venous catheters at the University Hospital of Tlemcen (Algeria) to caspofungin and amphotericin B. The results show that the rate of colonization of vascular catheters was 19 % by yeasts of Candida spp., of which 60 % are Candida parapsilosis, 20 % Candida albicans, 14.3 % Candida glabrata and 5.7 % Candida famata. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) for amphotericin B are between 0.5 and 2 μg/mL and for caspofungin, they are between 0.125 and 2 μg/mL., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)