Search

Aim: Candidemia has high morbidity and mortality rate in critically ill patients hospitalized in intensive care units. Prompt initiation of accurate anti-fungal therapy is essential for survival. In this study, a 6-year retrospective candidemia analysis of pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) was performed to review candida species distribution, risk factors for candidemia and change in the antifungal resistance in years. Material and Method: The candidemia episodes of children followed in the PICU of XXX Hospital between January 2014 and January 2020 were analyzed. The demographic and clinical characteristics, laboratory findings, treatments and outcomes of the patients were obtained from the medical records. Results: Fifty-nine episodes of candidemia (54.2% female) were reported in six years, median age at diagnosis was 43 months (range 1-225), median hospital stay was 48 days (range 3-664). All patients had used broad-spectrum antibiotics, majority had comorbidities (89.8%), nasogastric tube (84.7), central venous catheter (78.0%), and on mechanic ventilation (76.3%). Type of candida species was identified in 36 episodes of candidemia; 47.2% of these episodes were caused by C. parapsilosis, 38,9% by C. albicans, 8.3% by C. glabrata (8.3%), 2.8% by C. lusitaniae, and 2.8% by C. tropicalis. Length of hospital stay was longer among patients with nonalbicans candidemia, and these patients had higher leucocyte count at diagnosis. The rate of antifungal resistance increased over the years. Overall, thirty-day mortality rate was 16.9%. Conclusion: For critically ill patients with markedly elevated leucocyte count and long hospital stay, empiric antifungal treatment should cover nonalbicans candida with antifungal resistance.

Background and Purpose: There is a significant rise in morbidity and mortality of infections caused by Candida. Candida spp. infections are currently ranked fourth among nosocomial infections which are difficult to diagnose and refractory to therapy.Given the differences in susceptibility among various spp., identification of Candida spp. is an important step that leads to the selection of a suitable antifungal. Materials and Methods: A prevalence study was on 122 Candida isolates. The Candida spp. were identified using Chromogenic agar and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The antifungal susceptibility (AFS) of Candida spp. to amphotericin B, fluconazole,voriconazole, and caspofungin was determined by the disc diffusion method. Results: In total, 122 Candida clinical isolates were investigated in this study. Candida albicans with 57.4% (70 isolates) had the highest prevalence rate, while 52 isolates (42.6%) were non-albicans Candida species (NAC). The NAC include Candida krusei (20.4%), Candida tropicalis (6.5%), Candida parapsilolsis (5.7%), Candida dubliniensis (4.9%), and Candida glabrata (4.9%). The AFS showed that the resistance rates of Candida spp. to fluconazole and voriconazole were 13.1% (16 isolates) and 9.8% (12 isolates), respectively. Moreover, only five isolates (4.1%) were resistant to caspofungin. Furthermore, there was no resistance against amphotericin B. The spp. that showed the highest resistance were C. glabrata and C. tropicalis, while the lowest resistance was observed in C. albicans and C. dubliniensis. Conclusion: In conclusion, rapid identification of clinical Candida isolates and standard AFS are essential procedures for controlling the rise of resistant NAC spp.in clinical settings. Usage of fluconazole should be restricted, especially in patients with recurrent Candida infections.