[Candidemia in Pediatrics: Species distribution and antifungal susceptibility]

Abstract

Serious infections caused by Candida yeasts are frequent in the hospital population. Due to differences in species distribution and antifungal susceptibility testing depending on the geographic area and the type of patient, it is important to study the epidemiology of each institution. For this purpose, we conducted a retrospective, descriptive study on the occurrence of candidemia in the Children's Hospital "Superiora Sor María Ludovica" of the city of La Plata. In a 6-year period (2010-2015), 177 candidemia episodes were recorded. The predominant species were Candida albicans (45%) and Candida parapsilosis (28%). The hospital wards with the highest number of candidemia episodes were the pediatric, neonatal and cardiovascular intensive care units (58%). No resistance to amphotericin B was observed throughout the period whereas resistance to azoles was limited to 4 strains of less frequent species.

Keywords: Antifungal susceptibility; Candidemia; Pediatrics; Pediatría; Sensibilidad a los antifúngicos.