Non-albicans CandidaInfection: An Emerging Threat

[摘要] The very nature of infectious diseases has undergone profound changes in the past few decades. Fungi once considered as nonpathogenic or less virulent are now recognized as a primary cause of morbidity and mortality in immunocompromised and severely ill patients.Candidaspp. are among the most common fungal pathogens.Candida albicanswas the predominant cause of candidiasis. However, a shift toward non-albicans Candidaspecies has been recently observed. These non-albicans Candidaspecies demonstrate reduced susceptibility to commonly used antifungal drugs. In the present study, we investigated the prevalence of non-albicans Candidaspp. amongCandidaisolates from various clinical specimens and analysed their virulence factors and antifungal susceptibility profile. A total of 523Candidaspp. were isolated from various clinical specimens. Non-albicans Candidaspecies were the predominant pathogens isolated. Non-albicans Candidaspecies also demonstrated the production of virulence factors once attributed toCandida albicans. Non-albicans Candidademonstrated high resistance to azole group of antifungal agents. Therefore, it can be concluded that non-albicans Candidaspecies have emerged as an important cause of infections. Their isolation from clinical specimen can no longer be ignored as a nonpathogenic isolate nor can it be dismissed as a contaminant.

[学科分类] 传染病学