ISSN : 2663-2187

Prevalence of Azole Resistance in Various Candida Species in Various Sample Along with Its antifungal Susceptibility Pattern in a Tertiary Care teaching hospital rural Gujarat, Vadodara.

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Binda Pipaliya, Saurabh Chhotalal Norris, Himani Pandya , Tanuja Javadekar
ยป doi: 10.48047/AFJBS.6. Si2.2024.5710-5720

Abstract

Introduction: Candida is a type of yeast or fungus that normally resides in small amounts in the human body, particularly in the mouth, throat, gut, and vagina, without causing any harm. However, under certain conditions, such as a weakened immune system or disruption of the normal balance of microorganisms in the body (such as through antibiotic use), Candida can overgrow and cause infections. The in vitro susceptibility testing of antifungal agents is becoming increasingly important because of the introduction of new antifungal agents and the recovery of clinical isolates that exhibit inherent or developed resistance to Antifungal agents. Antifungal drug resistance in Candida species is a growing concern, particularly in healthcare settings where these infections can be challenging to treat. An antifungal agent is a drug that selectively eliminates fungal pathogens from a host with minimal toxicity to the host. Fluconazole, itraconazole, and ketoconazole inhibit cytochrome P450-dependent enzymes (particularly C14-demethylase) involved in the biosynthesis of ergosterol, which is required for fungal cell membrane structure and function. Aims and Objectives: The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of Azole resistance in various Candida species and its antifungal susceptibility profile in a tertiary care teaching hospital of rural Gujarat, India. Materials and Methods: This is an observational retrospective study. Data was collected for a period of five years (from January 2016 to December 2020) using Laboratory Information System (LIS) of Central Diagnostic laboratory of a tertiary care teaching hospital in rural Gujarat. The antifungal tested were Clotrimazole, Fluconazole, Voriconazole with isolated fungal species in our study. Results: A total of 53,195 culture samples were received during the study period with culture positivity rate of 37.27% (n=19,829) including bacterial and fungal isolates. Out of 19,829 isolates, 544 (2.74%) belonged to Candida species. Majority of candida isolates i.e., 70.8% were from critical care units. The most common species isolated was Candida tropicalis (44.30%) followed by Candida albicans (36.02%), Candida glabrata (8.08%) and Candida parapsilosis (4.59 %). The drug susceptibility of Candida tropicalis to Fluconazole, Voriconazole were 91%,95.3% respectively. Percentage susceptibility of Candida albicans, ranged from 85.7% to 99.4% for various antifungal agents. The susceptibility rates for Candida glabrata ranged from 34.7% to 100% for all antifungal agents tested. The susceptibility rates for Candida parapsilosis were 42.8% to 100% for various antifungal agents tested. Conclusion: Majority of the infections were found in ICUs. The changing epidemiology of Candidiasis, therefore highlights the need for close monitoring of Candida species distribution and susceptibility to optimize therapy and outcome. We should also develop the guideline for empirical therapy based on epidemiology of India. Candida non-albicans species were more resistant to azoles compared to C. albicans, information that can be useful for clinicians dealing with non - responding cases.

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