Diagnosis Of Candida Infections Research Articles

Candida Prostatitis: A Review and Update

Candidiasis is a terminology that is used for a fungal infection that is caused by a yeast which is a fungus that called candida species. Some species of candida can cause infection in human beings and the commonest candida species that can infect human beings is candida Albicans. Candida normally lives upon the skin as well as inside the human body, such as the mouth, the throat, the gut, and the vagina, without causing problems. Candida can cause infections if it grows out of control or if it enters deep into the body. For example, it could cause infections in the bloodstream or internal organs like the kidney, the heart, or the brain. Candida infection can be localized to one body organ or it could be a disseminated candida infection affecting various organs. Candida infection does tend to afflict immune-supressed individuals more often in comparison with immune competent individuals. Candida prostatitis an uncommon condition which clinicians should have a high index of suspicion for because it does manifest with non-specific symptoms that tend to be associated with more common conditions of the prostate and the urinary tract. Candida infection of the prostate gland may be an isolated de novo infection or it may be associated disseminated candida infection, or it may also be associated with prostate cancer or various immune-suppression conditions. Candida infection of the prostate gland could manifest as an acute infection/inflammation of the prostate gland or a chronic inflammation of the prostate gland or it could manifest as prostatic abscess. Some of the potential manifestations of candida prostatitis and or prostatic abscess include: (a) incidental finding upon biopsy of the prostate gland or following trans-urethral resection of prostate gland or prostatectomy. ( b) patient may manifest with lower urinary tract symptoms, (c) a patient may manifest with urinary retention that may be acute or chronic, (d) a patient may manifest with raised levels of serum prostate specific antigen (PSA), € at times when digital rectal examination is undertaken on a patient who has Candida prostatitis, the prostate gland may feel benign and in the case of a candida prostatic abscess rectal examination may demonstrate bogginess in the area of the prostate with soft fluctuant feeling. (f) Eosinophil count in some cases of Candida prostatitis would tend to be normal but in some cases of candida infection of the prostate gland, there could be Eosinophilia but this would not be diagnostic of Candida infection, (g) a history of having had coital contact with an individual who has been treated for candida infection or a history of past treatment of the individual should alert all clinicians to exclude the possibility of candida prostatitis. (h) on rare occasions urine culture or culture of expressed prostatic secretions would yield a growth of Candida. Diagnosis of Candida infection or abscess of the prostate gland may be confirmed by positive culture of Candida in prostate biopsy specimen or resected or excised prostate specimen. Treatment of Candida Prostatitis / prostatic abscess does tend to entail: (a) Treatment with appropriate antifungal medicament, plus (b) Complete radiology image-guided aspiration / drainage of any abscess seen plus / minus or endoscopic deroofing trans-urethral resection of the prostate to ensure the abscess drains out completely. Because recurrence of Candida prostatitis or prostatic abscess or Candida infection elsewhere can occur, it is important for patients to have regular follow-up assessments to ensure recurrence disease does not develop and if it develops, it is diagnosed quickly in order to initiate prompt treatment. It is also important to assess all coital contacts of the patient to ascertain if they have Candida infection to enable prompt treatment of their infection. If an individual who has candida prostatitis or prostatic abscess is also found to have contemporaneous adenocarcinoma of the prostate, the carcinoma of the prostate gland should be treated appropriately based upon the Gleason Grade and the Stage of the carcinoma, the performance status and age of the individual patient based upon the national and international guidelines pertaining to prostate cancer as a separate multi-disciplinary team discussion of the patient management.

Candida Infections in Immunocompetent Hosts: Pathogenesis and Diagnosis

Candida is a common commensal of the human skin and gastrointestinal tract causing infections in immunocompromised hosts. However, Candida has a variety of virulence factors and fitness attribute which make it capable of infecting even persons with otherwise intact immune system, especially those in critical care settings and with underlying co-morbidities. In this review, we describe the mechanisms behind the pathogenesis and diagnosis of Candida infections in such hosts. Both noninvasive and invasive infections can be seen especially in critically ill, hospitalized patients. The gold standard for diagnosis, despite low sensitivity, is blood and sterile body fluid culture. Combining clinical scores, fungal biomarkers, and nucleic acid amplification–based tests is necessary to guide early antifungal therapy. Understanding of the pathogenesis of infections in critically ill non-neutropenic individuals can help in identifying potential diagnostic and therapeutic targets. Future studies in specific patient groups can help in stratifying patients needing antifungals.

Candida Infections in Intensive Care Unit Patients: How to Diagnose?

Candida infection is a serious problem associated with increased morbidity and mortality in intensive care unit (ICU). Multiple risk factors and severe diseases make patients vulnerable to fungal infections in ICUs. Diagnosis of Candida infections should be established rapidly in order to initiate the efficient treatment early. Diagnosis of Candida infections is a very challenging […]

Pooled analysis of T2 Candida for rapid diagnosis of candidiasis

BackgroundThe present meta-analysis examined the diagnostic accuracy of T2 Candida for candidiasis.MethodsThe literature databases, such as PubMed, Embase, DVIO, Cochrane library, Web of Science, and CNKI, were searched on T2 Candida detection.ResultsA total of 8 articles, comprising of 2717 research subjects, were included in the study. The pooled sensitivity and specificity were 0.91 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.88–0.94) and 0.94 95% CI: 0.93–0.95), respectively. The pooled positive likelihood ratio and negative likelihood ratio was 10.16 (95% CI: 2.75–37.50) and 0.08 (95% CI: 0.02–0.35), respectively. The combined diagnostic odds ratio is 133.65 95% CI: 17.21–1037.73), and the AUC of SROC is 0.9702 [(SE = 0.0235), Q* = 0.9201(SE = 0.0381)].ConclusionsThe current evidence supported that T2 Candida has high accuracy and sensitivity and is of major clinical significance in the diagnosis of Candida infection.

Candida and Oral Candidosis—A Review

AbstractOral candidiasis (also called candidosis) is an opportunistic infection affecting the oral mucosa. These lesions are very common and caused by yeast Candida albicans. C. albicans are normal component of oral microflora and around 30 to 50% carry these organisms. The rate of carriage increases with advancing age of the patient. C. albicans are recovered from patient’s mouth over the age of 60 years. Other species such as C. glabrata, C. tropicalis, C. guilliermondii, and C. krusei are infrequently but consistently isolated. Oral candidosis can be classified into primary and secondary candidiasis. The factors involved in the pathogenicity of C. albicans have been reviewed. The pathogenesis of different biotypes and strains of C. albicans varies. A relationship has been suggested between the adherence of C. albicans to surfaces and its ability to colonize and cause disease. An important aspect of the pathogenicity of C. albicans may be its nonspecific affinity and binding to acrylic resin and other plastics. The factors affecting adhesion of yeasts, related to yeast cells, related to host cells and environmental factors, and the main factors which increase the susceptibility of oral candidiasis have been reviewed. The different types of oral lesions, their identification by different methods, management, and treatment of oral candidiasis also have been highlighted.Oral candidosis as a common opportunistic infection has gained importance after the discovery of human immunodeficiency virus infection. Candidiasis was always an endogenous infection. There are few cases of exogenous infection in intravenous drug abusers and contact lens users. Esophageal candidiasis is the earliest and most cases of lesions seen in acquired immunodeficiency syndrome patient. The diagnosis and reporting of oral candidiasis should be done with utmost care. The finding of yeast cells in large numbers and presence of pseudohyphae indicate invasion and causative agent of infection. The diagnosis of Candida infection can be confirmed by various techniques and recently discovered advanced methods.The confirmation of Candida infection depends on clinical diagnosis, proper collection of specimen, and careful evaluation in methodology and reporting.

Chronic candidal osteomyelitis of mid face: A therapeutic dilemma

Numerous explanations have been proposed for the increase in fungal infections including the use of broad-spectrum antibiotics, antineoplastic agents and prosthetic devices. Also increase in proportion of immunocompromised population predisposed to fungal infection might be a contributory factor.Candida albicans is a part of normal flora of the oral cavity. However, it is rarely implicated in maxillary osteomyelitis. Diagnosis of Candida infection is challenging as most symptoms are non-specific and cultures may only become positive late in the course of the infection. Due to scarcity of literature, there are no robust guidelines regarding the most appropriate therapeutic regimens to be employed in such cases.A case of candidal osteomyelitis of mid face is reported suggesting the need for more multicentric long-term studies to formulate and establish appropriate treatment regimens.

Dexamethasone therapy and Candida sepsis in neonates less than 1250 grams.

To determine whether dexamethasone use increases the risk for Candida sepsis (CS) in very low birth weight premature infants (<1250 g). Retrospective chart review of all infants with a birth weight <1250 g, admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit of the MetroHealth Medical Center, Cleveland, Ohio between January 1, 1996 and December 31, 1999. Infant groups with (n=65) and without (n=229) CS were compared. Two hundred and ninety four infants with a birth weight <1250 g were identified. CS was diagnosed at a median age of 18 days, and 6 of 65 (10%) infants died directly from Candida-related complications. Candida albicans (n=30, 60%) and Candida parapsilosis (n=14, 25%) were the predominant isolates. Use of dexamethasone in infants at risk for chronic lung disease before 14 days of age (p=0.001), duration of antibiotics (p=0.001), and total duration of parenteral nutrition and intralipid (p=0.0001) were all significantly greater in infants who developed CS. Regression analysis showed that duration of antibiotics before the diagnosis of Candida infection (r(2)=0.69, p=0.0002) and duration of dexamethasone (r(2)=0.93, p=0.0002) correlated with Candida infection. Early dexamethasone use was also related to the age at diagnosis of Candida infection (r(2)=0.51, p=0.01). Dexamethasone therapy and prolonged duration of antibiotics are associated with Candida infection in premature infants.

Candida-Infektionen bei Intensivpatienten

In 31 of 60 long-term ventilated intensive-care patients, a significant Candida antigen titer in serum was found that correlated with positive Candida cultures. In some cases the detection of the antigen was the first indication of Candida infection, while the isolation of the infectious agent required a culture period of 24-48 hours. In addition to routinely performed controls of Candida colonisation, determination of Candida antigen in the serum appears to be a valuable tool in the early diagnosis of candida infections.

Efficacy of 2.5% Pimafucin suspension in the treatment of denture stomatitis

This double-blind clinical trial was carried out in 38 patients to compare the efficacy of 2.5% Pimafucin suspension with a placebo in the treatment of denture stomatitis. The diagnosis of Candida infection was confirmed by the making of cultures and microscopic examination. Data were analyzed from 32 patients, of whom 18 received Pimafucin suspension and 14 a placebo suspension. Pimafucin suspension-treated patients showed a significant reduction of Candida infection in terms of culture, culture growth, and number of colonies within the first week of therapy. There was no statistical evidence of relapse during the 4-week period after therapy was stopped. The group receiving a placebo failed to show any statistically significant improvement with respect to the mentioned parameters. Erythema of oral mucosa showed significant improvement in both groups. No side effects were found.