Candidaemia due to Candida parapsilosis species complex at a hospital in Brazil: Clinical characteristics and antifungal susceptibility profile / Candidemia por especies del complejo Candida parapsilosis en un hospital de Brasil: características clínicas y perfil de sensibilidad a los antifúngicos

Background. Recent decades have seen a global emergence of candidaemia caused by non-Candida albicans Candida species, particularly the Candida parapsilosis complex. Aims. To evaluate the clinical features and antifungal susceptibility profiles of isolates belonging to the C. parapsilosis species complex in patients with candidaemia in a midwestern Brazilian tertiary-care teaching hospital. Methods. Yeast identification was performed using an automated Vitek 2 Compact system. PCR-RFLP was employed for species differentiation. Results. Five cases of infection by C. parapsilosis sensu stricto and two by Candida orthopsilosis were found. Of the seven cases, five were adult patients undergoing haemodialysis. The only isolate of C. parapsilosis sensu stricto resistant to fluconazole (MIC=8μg/ml) was obtained from a patient on a long-term regimen with this drug. This was the only patient who evolved to death. Conclusions. Resistance to antifungal agents poses a therapeutic challenge, especially for non-C. albicans Candida species, and requires continuous monitoring using susceptibility tests because resistance in vitro can be predictive of treatment failure. In the present study, in vitro antifungal susceptibility proved consistent with clinical outcome (AU)

Antecedentes. En las últimas décadas se ha visto un surgimiento mundial de la candidemia causada por especies de Candida no-C. albicans, en particular del complejo Candida parapsilosis. Objetivos. Evaluar las características clínicas y los perfiles de sensibilidad antifúngica en aquellos aislamientos del complejo de especies C. parapsilosis responsables de candidemia en un hospital universitario de tercer nivel en la región centro-oeste de Brasil. Métodos. La identificación se realizó en un sistema automatizado Vitek 2 compact. Se utilizó PCR-RFLP para la diferenciación de las especies. Resultados. Se encontraron cinco casos de candidemia por C. parapsilosis sensu stricto y dos por Candida orthopsilosis. Cinco eran pacientes adultos sometidos a hemodiálisis. El único aislamiento de Candida parapsilosis sensu stricto resistente a fluconazol (CIM, 8μg/ml) se obtuvo de un paciente en régimen largo de tratamiento con este antifúngico. Este fue el único paciente que murió. Conclusiones. La resistencia a los antifúngicos constituye un desafío terapéutico, en especial contra las especies de Candida no-C. albicans, que requieren la monitorización continua por medio de pruebas de sensibilidad en vista de que la resistencia in vitro puede ser predictiva de fracaso del tratamiento. En el presente estudio la sensibilidad antifúngica in vitro resultó consistente con el curso clínico (AU)

Candidaemia due to Candida parapsilosis species complex at a hospital in Brazil: Clinical characteristics and antifungal susceptibility profile.

BACKGROUND: Recent decades have seen a global emergence of candidaemia caused by non-Candida albicans Candida species, particularly the Candida parapsilosis complex. AIMS: To evaluate the clinical features and antifungal susceptibility profiles of isolates belonging to the C. parapsilosis species complex in patients with candidaemia in a midwestern Brazilian tertiary-care teaching hospital. METHODS: Yeast identification was performed using an automated Vitek 2 Compact system. PCR-RFLP was employed for species differentiation. RESULTS: Five cases of infection by C. parapsilosis sensu stricto and two by Candida orthopsilosis were found. Of the seven cases, five were adult patients undergoing haemodialysis. The only isolate of C. parapsilosis sensu stricto resistant to fluconazole (MIC=8µg/ml) was obtained from a patient on a long-term regimen with this drug. This was the only patient who evolved to death. CONCLUSIONS: Resistance to antifungal agents poses a therapeutic challenge, especially for non-C. albicans Candida species, and requires continuous monitoring using susceptibility tests because resistance in vitro can be predictive of treatment failure. In the present study, in vitro antifungal susceptibility proved consistent with clinical outcome.

First molecular typing of cryptococcemia-causing cryptococcus in central-west Brazil.

Molecular epidemiology studies on cryptococcemia are limited. This study aimed to describe the clinical features of patients with bloodstream infections by Cryptococcus sp. in a public tertiary hospital in Mato Grosso do Sul, as well as identify the fungus' molecular type and determine its antifungal susceptibility. Molecular typing was performed using URA5 restriction fragment length polymorphism PCR, and antifungal susceptibility was determined by microdilution method standardized by the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute. Over 14 years, 48 patients were diagnosed with cryptococcemia. The majority (72.9 %) was male with a median age of 40 years; 81.3 % of the patients had HIV/AIDS and 72.9 % died. Cryptococcus neoformans was the most commonly isolated species (97.9 %). Molecular analysis identified the genotypes C. neoformans VNI (93.7 %), C. neoformans VNII (4.2 %), and Cryptococcus gattii VGII (2.1 %). In vitro, these fungi were not resistant to fluconazole, itraconazole, voriconazole, and amphotericin B. This is the first description of the molecular types of cryptococcemia agents in central-west Brazil. Its high lethality, especially in HIV-negative patients, suggests that early diagnosis and prompt antifungal therapy are crucial for a good clinical outcome.