Genotypic Diversity of Candida parapsilosis Complex in Invasive Candidiasis at a Pediatric Tertiary Hospital: A 5-Year Retrospective Study.

Abstract

Invasive candidiasis (IC) contributes to the morbidity and mortality of hospitalized patients and represents a significant burden to the healthcare system. Previous Brazilian studies have reported the presence of endemic Candida parapsilosis sensu stricto genotypes causing candidemia and clonal transmission involving fluconazole-resistant isolates. We performed a 5-year retrospective analysis of IC cases in a Brazilian tertiary pediatric hospital and conducted a molecular investigation of C. parapsilosis sensu stricto. Non-duplicate C. parapsilosis sensu stricto genotyping was performed by microsatellite analysis. Antifungal susceptibility and biofilm formation were also evaluated. A total of 123 IC episodes were identified, with an IC incidence of 1.24 cases per 1000 hospital admissions and an overall mortality of 34%. The main species were the C. parapsilosis complex (35.8%), Candida albicans (29.2%), and Candida tropicalis (21.9%). All C. parapsilosis sensu stricto were recovered from blood cultures, and 97.5% were biofilm producers. Microsatellite typing identified high genotypic diversity among the isolates. We observed that all isolates were sensitive to amphotericin B, and although one isolate was non-sensitive to fluconazole, only a silent mutation on ERG11 gene was identified. No clear evidence of clonal outbreak or emergence of fluconazole-resistant isolates was found, suggesting that multiple sources may be involved in the epidemiology of IC in children.

• Authors: Luiza S Rodrigues, Adriele C Siqueira, Regiane N Spalanzani, Thaís M Vasconcelos, Bianca Sestren, Saloe P Bispo, Renata B V Abreu, Letícia Kraft, Marinei C Ricieri, Fábio A Motta, Libera M Dalla-Costa
• Journal: Journal of fungi (Basel, Switzerland) (J Fungi (Basel)) Vol. 8 Issue 12 (Dec 06 2022) ISSN: 2309-608X [Electronic] Switzerland
• PMID: 36547613 (Publication Type: Journal Article)