Distribution and Antifungal Sensitivity of Candida Isolates Detected in Blood Cultures

Abstract

Candidemia is a serious clinical condition that can result in mortality. This condition is particularly common in intensive care patients. This retrospective study aimed to identify Candida strains isolated from blood cultures and to determine antifungal susceptibility patterns. For this purpose, isolated Candida species were identified and, their susceptibility to amphotericin B, caspofungin, flucytosine, fluconazole, micafungin and voriconazole were investigated. VITEK 2 automated system was used to identify and detect antifungal susceptibility of Candida species that were subjected to Gram staining and germ tube tests on Candida species detected from blood cultures sent to our laboratory between January 2014 and December 2018. Candida spp. isolation rate was found most frequently (n=157; 64.9 %) in intensive care units; followed by internal clinics (n=64; 26.5 %) and surgical clinics (n=21; 8.6 %). The most frequently isolated species among these Candida isolates are Candida albicans (100/242; 41.3 %) and Candida parapsilosis (92/242; 38 %). Especially in intensive care patients, rapid identification of Candida species and determination of their antifungal susceptibilities are important for planning treatment. It is thought that collecting data reflecting regional resistance status at certain intervals will be guiding in terms of treatment approaches.