Background and purpose: Incidence of candiduria attributed to Candida species has been increasing, with a notable rise in cases involving antifungal-resistant non-albicans Candida (NAC) species. This investigation aimed to assess both the prevalence and antifungal susceptibility patterns of Candida isolates obtained from patients diagnosed with candiduria.
Materials and methods: In total, 100 urine specimens were collected from patients diagnosed with candiduria and subjected to analysis. Subsequent to the preliminary identification, a 21-plex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay was employed for species characterization. Antifungal susceptibility testing was conducted using the broth microdilution technique, which aimed to determine the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of fluconazole, amphotericin B, and caspofungin.
Results: Among the 100 analyzed patients, Candida albicans was the predominant species, accounting for 70% of isolates, followed by C. tropicalis (11%), C. glabrata (9%), and C. parapsilosis (5%). Resistance to fluconazole was observed in 2.86% of C. albicans isolates, whereas 29.41% of the NAC species exhibited resistance to this antifungal agent.
Conclusion: The fluconazole resistance rate was notably higher among NAC species, compared to that of C. albicans. To deepen current understanding, it is recommended that future molecular investigations employ advanced and diverse methodologies, along with larger and more representative patient cohorts.
Keywords: Antifungal resistance; Candiduria; Multiplex PCR; Susceptibility profiles; Candida species.
Copyright: © 2021, Published by Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences on behalf of Iranian Society of Medical Mycology and Invasive Fungi Research Center.