[Hansenula anomala fungemia]

Abstract

We communicate 5 episodes of fungemia produced by Hansenula anomala (Candida pelliculosa) in 4 adult patients and 1 preterm newborn admitted in different wards of the HIGA San Martín of La Plata City during a 13 month period. The isolates were achieved by culture of blood obtained by venipuncture (5/5) and from catheter (2/5) and were processed with BacTAlert system and lysis-centrifugation method. API 32 C system achieved the identification of the isolated yeasts. Among the patients, treatments with antibiotics (5/5) and corticoids (2/5), catheters (3/5), previous surgical procedures and surgical wounds (2/5), prematurely (1/5) and neutropenia (1/5) were present as predisposing factors of fungemia. Three out of the 5 episodes evolved favorably and the remaining 2 patients died in spite of the antifungal treatment. The diagnosis of 4 out of 5 cases in a brief lapse (3 months), and 2 simultaneously in 2 different wards, as well as the lack of other isolates of H. anomala in our Hospital, before and after of the studied period, suggests the possibility of an outbreak. We claim that H. anomala is an emergent fungal pathogen that must be taken into account as etiological agent of fungemia, fundamentally in patients with different predisposing factors.