Nosocomial candidemia: a threat beyond nosocomial bacterial infections in intensive care units

Abstract

Received: 21.07.2010 – Accepted: 03.12.2010 1 Department of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Erciyes University, Kayseri TURKEY 2 Department of Internal Medicine, Intensive Care Unit, Faculty of Medicine, Erciyes University, Kayseri TURKEY 3 Department of Microbiology and Clinical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Erciyes University, Kayseri TURKEY Correspondence: Emine ALP MESE, Department of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Erciyes University, Kayseri TURKEY E-mail: ealp@erciyes.edu.tr Candida bloodstream infections (BSI) have become an increasing cause of BSI in intensive care units (ICUs). Th e increasing incidence of nosocomial infections and multidrug-resistant bacteria in ICUs prolong hospitalization and cause prolonged exposure to multiple broad-spectrum antibiotics and invasive procedures. As a result of these risk factors, candidemia becomes a major threat for ICU patients. Moreover, the cause of candidemia has shift ed from Candida albicans to non-albicans species, which causes problems in therapy (1,2).