Isolation, Identification and Antifungal Susceptibility Testing of Candida species from Sepsis Patients from a rural based tertiary care and teaching hospital in Vadodara district, Gujarat

Background: Sepsis is a global problem causing substantial morbidity and mortality to the patients afflicted with it. Moreover sepsis due to fungal infections, especially, the Candida infections has increased in the recent times due to increase in patients with immunocompromised conditions. They are the normal commensal of the oral cavity, GIT and the mucosal surfaces in the body as well as the pathogens leading to colonization and also infection. Though Candida albicans is the most commonly isolated fungal pathogen from clinical samples, gradually non-albicans Candida species are becoming predominant pathogens. The increased use of anti-fungal agents for treatment and also for prophylaxis especially in ICU patients has lead to development of resistance against commonly used anti-fungal agents in the treatment like various azoles. Thus this study was carried out to identify different Candida species from specimens of clinically diagnosed sepsis patients and their antifungal susceptibility pattern which can be utilized for better management of sepsis patients. Objectives: The objectives of this study were to isolate and identify the species of Candida from different samples of clinically diagnosed sepsis patients and to determine the susceptibility pattern of the Candida species isolates against the commonly used anti-fungal agents from the clinical samples of sepsis patients from a rural based tertiary care and teaching hospital. Materials and methods: A total of 100 Candida species were isolated from different samples of clinically diagnosed sepsis patients. These were identified on the basis of gram stain of the samples, colony morphology on Saboraud's Dextrose agar and HiCrome also germ tube and chlamydospore formation. The antifungal susceptibility testing was done according to CLSI M44-A2 for yeasts. Results: A total of 100 (14.26%) Candida species were isolated out of the total 701 isolates from 1136 different samples cultured from clinically diagnosed sepsis patients. Of these, 53% were C. albicans, 37% C. non-albicans, 6% C. glabrata and 4% C. tropicalis. Also 35% were obtained from blood, 20% from catheterized urine, 19% from sputum, 14% from non-catheterized urine, 7% from ET (Endotracheal) tips/secretions and the smaller percentage from other specimens. The antifungal testing showed a higher resistance to most of the antifungal agents tested with 80% towards clotrimazole, 77% to ketoconazole and 63% to fluconazole and 62% towards itraconazole. However, 80% of Candida species were susceptible to amphotericin B followed by 33% to fluconazole and 80% were susceptible-dose-dependent to nystatin. Conclusion: The findings of our study suggest that Candida species are an important pathogen causing various infections in our patients leading to sepsis as well as a higher resistance to most of the antifungal agents tested poses a real challenge in the management of patients with sepsis due to Candida. Thus routine identification using HiCrome Media and antifungal susceptibility testing by disc diffusion method for yeasts will help in better management of sepsis due to Candida infections.