ISOLATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF CANDIDA SPECIES IN ICU PATIENTS: A PROSPECTIVE OBSERVATIONAL STUDY FROM KUMAON REGION, UTTARAKHAND, INDIA

Background: Fungi have emerged as major cause of human diseases since early 1980s. In hospitalized patients with serious underlying diseases and those having immunocompromised state, opportunistic fungal infections bring about a substantial increase in morbidity and mortality. Aim and Objectives: Isolation and characterization of Candida species in ICU patients of Dr. Susheela Tiwari Government Hospital, Haldwani, Uttarakhand. Materials and Methods: A prospective observational study was conducted for two years from Nov 2015 to Oct 2017 and 2323 samples were collected from suspected cases of Candida infection, admitted in ICU of Dr. Susheela Tiwari Government Hospital, Haldwani. Identification of Candida species was done by standard laboratory processes. Results: In the present study, out of 2323 clinical specimens received from different ICU’s, 104 samples were found positive for Candida species. Majority of the patients were in the age group ˃ 60 years (24.04%). We observed that Non-albicans Candida (NAC) species (67.3%) were more frequently encountered than C. albicans (32.7%). Among NAC, C. tropicalis was the most common species (61.4%). Maximum numbers of Candida species (81.73%) were isolated from urine samples. Conclusion: The global incidence of Candidiasis has risen steadily over the past few decades. NAC is emerging as a significant problem in hospitalized patients especially in ICU setup. Early speciation of Candida isolates will restrict the empirical use of antifungal agents, which will greatly help in making clinical decisions for the benefit of patients.