Evaluation of infections by Candida at a university hospital of Vale do Paraíba region, São Paulo State, Brazil: species distribution, colonization, risk factors and antifungal susceptibility

Abstract

The present research aimed to carry out an epidemiological study, recording the prevalence of Candida spp. causing infection, as well as the colonization, distribution of the different species in clinical specimens from different sectors of a university hospital, risk factors and their susceptibility to antifungal drugs. Over a one-year period, 100 samples of Candida from 67 patients were isolated and identified, which 74% were characterized as colonization and 26% as nosocomial infections. C. albicans was the most frequent (40%), followed by C. tropicalis (25%), C. parapsilosis(21%), C. glabrata (9%), C. rugosa (2%), C. novergensis (1%), C. krusei (1%) and C. guilliermondii (1%). Non-albicans Candida species represented 71.4% of the colonization cases and 52.1% of infection. C. albicans was the most common species found in secretions and blood, C. parapsilosis was the most isolated from venous catheter, while C. tropicalis and C. glabrata were the most frequently isolated species in probes. The hospital wards with the largest number of yeasts were the Intensive Care Units (45%). Renal failure and multiple traumas were the most frequent underlying diseases and the mainly risk factors for colonization or infection were antibiotic therapy and invasive procedures. Most of the samples showed high susceptibility to the antifungal agents studied. Epidemiological investigations of these agents in the hospital environment are very important, especially at the studied hospital, so that preventive measures may be taken against infections.