Common fungal isolates from routine clinical specimens - A two-year’s study from a tertiary care hospital in South India

Background: Fungal infections are gaining prominence in recent years and are becoming a cause of significant morbidity as well as mortality. Reliable data from India about the spectrum of pathogens causing fungal infection in various body systems, and particularly about the antifungal susceptibility pattern of Candida spp., which is the most common isolate worldwide is not available. Materials: We prospectively studied 48,155 clinical samples submitted for fungal work-up to the microbiology laboratory at our tertiary care teaching hospital. Standard procedures were followed for fungal identification. Candida isolates were differentiated into Candida albicans and non-albicans candida (NAC) by germ tube test. Antifungal susceptibility of Candida isolates?was?determined?by?disc?diffusion?technique?using?amphotericin?B?(10??g),?fluconazole(25??g),and?voriconazole?(1??g)discs. Results: A total of 555 fungal isolates were obtained of which 541 were Candida spp, while the others were filamentous fungi. Male gender and age over 50 years were found to be independent risk factors. Proportion of NAC isolates (n =384, 69.2%) were greater compared to C. albicans (n = 157, 28.3%). Aspergillus spp. was the second most frequent isolate. Azole resistance was significantly more in NAC group as compared to C. albicans. For fluconazole, 57.5% of the NAC showed resistance compared to 24.8% seen in strains of C. albicans while the corresponding figure for voriconazole was 56.8% Vs 22.9%. Overall resistance for amphotericin B was low (8.9%). Conclusion: Our observations bring to light the spectrum of common fungal isolates and their susceptibility patterns. This information will be useful for health planners and policy makers, as early institution of appropriate antifungal treatment can be life saving.