APMIS : acta pathologica, microbiologica, et immunologica Scandinavica
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Comparative Study
In vitro susceptibility of yeasts isolated from patients in intensive care units to fluconazole and amphotericin B during a 3-year period.
Fungal infections have increased dramatically in recent years and candidemia is a major risk factor for morbidity and mortality in intensive care units (ICUs). Candidemia has been considered to be a nosocomial infection that is strongly associated with neutropenia, recent surgery or presence of intravascular lines, and previous colonization is an independent risk factor. We evaluated the in vitro efficacy of fluconazole and amphotericin B against yeasts isolated from various clinical specimens of colonized or infected patients treated in the ICUs of the Institute of Cardiology, Istanbul University. ⋯ The rate of colonization was 3.36% (47/1397). Only 10 (0.71%) patients out of a total of 1397 developed candidemia during the period of the investigation. Of these, 7 (70%) were caused by non-albicans Candida spp.