Predominance of Candida glabrata in candidemia among patients with solid tumor cancer in Oman: A retrospective study

Abstract

ObjectivesCandida species frequently cause bloodstream infections; however, there is a lack of epidemiological studies on candidemia in Oman. MethodsTo address this, we conducted a retrospective study at Sultan Qaboos Comprehensive Cancer and Research Center from October 2021 to October 2023. ResultsOur study identified 27 episodes of candidemia among 26 patients with cancer, with an incidence of 4.9 per 1000 admissions. Non-albicans Candida (NAC) prevailed over C. albicans (70.37% vs 29.62%), with C. glabrata as the predominant NAC species (n = 10; 37%). The 30-day mortality rate was 40.7%, showing no significant difference between NAC and C. albicans but was notably higher in critically ill patients (P = 0.03). ConclusionIn Oman, NAC surpasses C. albicans as a causative pathogen for candidemia with a high mortality rate.