Candidemia in a brazilian tertiary hospital: microbiological and clinical features over a six-year period

• Published in: Journal of Venomous Animals and Toxins including Tropical Diseases
• Main Authors: AL Mondelli, L Niéro-Melo, E Bagagli, CH Camargo, A Bruder-Nascimento, MF Sugizaki, MV Carneiro, PJF Villas Boas
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: SciELO 2012
• Subjects: candidemia; mortality; associated factors; Candida albicans; Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine; RC955-962; Toxicology. Poisons; RA1190-1270; Zoology; QL1-991; Arctic
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1590/S1678-91992012000200015; https://doaj.org/article/50664d7d0d7445d4b841bb416837c9cd

Yeasts are becoming a common cause of nosocomial fungal infections in immunocompromised patients. Such infections often develop into sepsis with high mortality rates. The aim of this study was to evaluate some of the numerous factors associated with the development of candidemia. Medical records were retrospectively analyzed of 98 Candida spp. patients. Results showed that the most prevalent risk factors for developing candidemia were: antibiotics and antifungal agents (93.9% and 79.6%, respectively); the use of central venous catheter (93.9%); mechanical ventilation (73.5%); and parenteral nutrition (60.2%). The main species of Candida found were: C. parapsilosis (37.76%), C. albicans (33.67%); and others (28.57%). C. glabrata showed the highest mortality rate (75%), followed by C. tropicalis (57.1%) and C. albicans (54.5%). The elevated mortality rate found in this study indicates that preventive measures against candidemia must be emphasized in hospitals.