Clinical and microbiological features of candiduria in critically ill adult patients in Shiraz, Iran (2016-2018): deviations from international guidelines and fluconazole therapeutic failure

Assessment of Risk Factors and Clinical Outcomes in Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients with Candida spp. Co-infections: Species Distribution and Antifungal Susceptibility Patterns of Isolates

INTRODUCTION

Fungal co-infections are considered an important complication in hospitalized patients with SARS-CoV-2 that can be attributed to disease aggravation, increased mortality, and poor outcomes. This study was conducted to determine the species distribution and antifungal susceptibility patterns of Candida isolates from hospitalized COVID-19 patients in Shiraz, Iran, in addition to associated risk factors and outcomes of co-infections with Candida species.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

In this single-center study, a total of 106 hospitalized COVID-19 patients were evaluated for clinical characteristics and outcomes. Species identification was performed by ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 gene sequencing. Antifungal susceptibility testing to fluconazole, itraconazole, voriconazole, posaconazole, caspofungin, amphotericin B, and nystatin was determined according to the M27-A3/S4 CLSI protocol.

RESULTS

Candida species were recovered from 48% (51/106) of hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Statistical analysis showed that patients who had heart failure, bacterial co-infection, and were receiving empirical antifungal therapy had a higher risk of developing Candida co-infection. In total, 71 Candida isolates were recovered, of which C. albicans (69%) was the most prevalent isolate. The majority of the Candida isolates were susceptible to all classes of tested antifungal drugs.

DISCUSSION

Our results elucidate a high rate of Candida co-infections among hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Comorbidities such as heart failure, HTN, COPD, bacterial infections as well as therapeutic interventions including catheterization, mechanical ventilation, and ICU admission increased the risk of Candida spp. isolation from the bloodstream, respiratory tract and urine samples, which led to a higher in-hospital mortality rate. Additionally, obtained data clarified that empirical antifungal therapy was not as successful as anticipated.

Treatment of Candida urinary tract infections with micafungin in children

BACKGROUND

Candida urinary tract infections (UTIs) are common nosocomial infections among critically ill patients hospitalized in pediatric intensive care Units (PICU). We aimed to report outcomes of critically ill pediatric patients who received micafungin for hospital acquired Candida UTIs. We analyzed treatment success rates and success rates among different Candida species.

METHODS

This retrospective cohort study included patients who received micafungin for Candida UTI as first choice in our PICU between January 2017 and July 2018. Data, including demographic and clinical features, were retrospectively collected from medical files of the patients. Treatment efficacy was defined as resolution of clinical symptoms and a negative culture for Candida at day 14 after initiation of micafungin treatment.

RESULTS

Twenty-four pediatric patients (median age 5.72 years, range, 2 months-16 years) were included in the present study. Fourteen (58.3%) patients had urinary catheters at the time of Candida isolation. Resolution of symptoms and a negative culture at day 3 of micafungin treatment were achieved in 17 (70.8%) and 14 (58.3%) patients, respectively. Moreover, 19 (79.2%) patients had a normal urine analysis and negative culture 14 days after initiation of micafungin treatment. Treatment responses did not statistically differ between Candida species.

CONCLUSIONS

Micafungin is safe and efficacious in critically ill pediatric patients with Candida UTIs. Its efficacy in our pediatric population was as comparable to that observed in adult studies, therefore, it should be considered as an effective therapeutic option in Candida UTIs of critically ill pediatric patients.

Candidemia among Iranian Patients with Severe COVID-19 Admitted to ICUs

As a novel risk factor, COVID-19 has led to an increase in the incidence of candidemia and an elevated mortality rate. Despite being of clinical importance, there is a lack of data regarding COVID-19-associated candidemia (CAC) among Iranian patients. Therefore, in this retrospective study, we assessed CAC epidemiology in the intensive care units (ICUs) of two COVID-19 centers in Mashhad, Iran, from early November 2020 to late January 2021. Yeast isolates from patients’ blood were identified by 21-plex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sequencing, then subjected to antifungal susceptibility testing according to the CLSI M27-A3 protocol. Among 1988 patients with COVID-19 admitted to ICUs, seven had fungemia (7/1988; 0.03%), among whom six had CAC. The mortality of the limited CAC cases was high and greatly exceeded that of patients with COVID-19 but without candidemia (100% (6/6) vs. 22.7% (452/1988)). In total, nine yeast isolates were collected from patients with fungemia: five Candida albicans, three C. glabrata, and one Rhodotorula mucilaginosa. Half of the patients infected with C. albicans (2/4) were refractory to both azoles and echinocandins. The high mortality of patients with CAC, despite antifungal therapy, reflects the severity of the disease in these patients and underscores the importance of rapid diagnosis and timely initiation of antifungal treatment.