Abstract

Candida parapsilosis Complex Distribution, Behavior and Response Profile to Antifungal Agents in a Collection of Blood Cultures from Argentinean Patients with Candidemia

Candida parapsilosis is a complex comprising three yeast species which can be distinguished genetically. These yeasts have emerged over the past decade as major nosocomial pathogens, with the species C. parapsilosis sensu stricto being the second most frequently isolated yeast after C. albicans from blood samples of patients with candidemia. In Argentina there are few data available on the epidemiology of this complex in samples from patients with invasive disease. Our aim was to analyze the distribution, relationship with immune status and response to antifungal agents commonly used in clinical practice, of the species in the C. parapsilosis complex from a collection of blood cultures from Argentinean patients diagnosed with candidemia. A basic, retrospective, cross-sectional study was designed for molecular analysis of 25 blood cultures by endpoint PCR with specific primers from the ITS1-5.8SrRNA-ITS2 region. Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) was determined for each antifungal agent on the study strains using Vitek2 automated method. In Argentina C. parapsilosis sensu stricto is the predominant species in samples from patients with invasive disease, being more likely to be recovered from clearly immunocompromised patients. Flucytosine does not seem to be a good choice for treating invasive infections by this yeast.


Author(s):

Rodríguez L, Rosa AC, Mayo S, Sellart G, Magariños F, Santillán HD, Bertone A, Jewtuchowicz V



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