Epidemiology and antifungal susceptibility patterns of candidemia from a tertiary centre in Western Australia

Abstract

Candidemia is a common invasive fungal infection with a high mortality rate. We performed a retrospective audit of candidemia at a tertiary centre in Western Australia, 2005-2014. There were 167 episodes of candidemia due to 173 isolates of Candida. Candida albicans (40.5%), Candida glabrata complex (30.6%), Candida parapsilosis complex (14.4%) were the most common species causing candidemia across the study. Of the tested isolates, 17.7% (11/62) were non-susceptible to fluconazole and 13.6% (9/66) non-susceptible to caspofungin. 22.8% (8/35) C. glabrata complex were fluconazole resistant and 17.1% (6/35) were non-susceptible to caspofungin. Candida glabrata complex was more common in the latter time period, but there were no susceptibility changes over time. In our setting, the prevalence of C. glabrata complex and antifungal non-susceptibility is high, and the prevalence of C. glabrata complex is increasing.

Keywords: complex; Australia; Candidemia; antifungal resistance; candida epidemiology; echinocandin; fluconazole.