Detection of Virulence and Anti Fungal Susceptibility Pattern of Candida Isolated from Candidemia Patients in A Tertiary Care Centre

Abstract

Candida is yeast-like fungi that appear as oval or round budding yeast cells along with pesudohyphae. Nearly 163 species of Candida exist and out of that only very few were opportunistic pathogens. The most common pathogenic species is Candida albicans and it s a normal microbial flora of the oral cavity, skin, gut and vagina. It causes both local and systemic infections particularly in immunocompromised individuals such as HIV/AIDS patients, diabetics, patients on steroids, patients on antibiotics, cancer patients on chemotherapy and radiation therapy, local skin/tissue damage, on the catheters-both urinary and central line. Candida albicans holds an exceptional position, constituting about 40% and Candida non- albicans (CNA) species contributes to about 60%. Over the last few decades, Candida species are more substantial and CNA species continue to replace C. albicans in bloodstream infections (BSIs). The occurrence rate of candidemia constitutes approximately 72.8 cases per million population. At present among the incidence of health-care-associated BSIs, Candida spp. ranks in the third to the fourth position. It shows high mortality rates yearly which range from 5% to 71% and the mortality of adults are 15 35% and 10 15% for neonates. The occurrence of four geographically limited phyla, in addition to the discovery of clonal transmission within and across healthcare settings, has been attributed to the global emergence of Candida auris. They are often manifested as a multidrug resistance among various Candida spp and improper management of C newline