Candida Infection Diagnosis: Evaluation Of Candida Species Identification And Characterization Of Susceptibility Profile [diagnóstico De Infecção Por Candida: Awalição De Testes De Identificação De Espécies E Caracterização Do Peril De Suscetibilidade]

Background: Invasive infections by Candida are an important cause of morbidity and mortality. The successful treatment of these infections depends on the identification of the species and on the sensitivity pattern to antifungal agents. A quick and specific diagnosis is essential to introduce appropriate therapy. Objectives: Assess different diagnostic methods to determine Candida species and evaluate the sensitivity pattern to different antifungal agents among the identified ones. Material and Methods: The identification of Candida species present in samples of different biological materials was conducted through CHROMagaf" Candida culture and Nested-PCR. The sensitivity pattern was assessed using Etesf. Results: The culture of samples on CHROMagaf revealed50% Candida albicans, 20.8% Candida tropicalis, 2.4% Candida krusei, and26.9% other undetermined species. Samples of Candida albicans and Candida tropicalis were identified through CHROMagaf and N-PCR. Species that were not determined through CHROMagaf1 were characterized as Candida parapsilosis by N-PCR. Resistance to fluconazole, S-fluocytosine was detected, respectively, in Candida krusei and Candida tropicalis samples. Both Candida albicans and Candida tropicalis samples showed resistance to itraconazole. Discussion: The methods applied are easily reproducible and highly specific, which allows complementary diagnosis. The determination of the susceptibility profile byEtesf enables the early introduction of specific treatment. 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