Candida: Some Strains More Deadly

Infection with candida can be fatal. Reporting at ID Week 2015, a team from South Korea reported that C.tropicalis is the predominant cause of persistent infection.

Seung Ji Kang, MD, of Chonnam National University Hwasun Hospital in Hwas un-Gun, South Korea and colleagues noted that the clinical characteristics and outcomes of persistent candidemia are poorly understood “inspite of high attributable mortality of candidemia.”

The team did a study to investigate the clinical characteristics and risk factors associated with mortality in these patients.

They looked at 538 candidemia patients, of who 80 had the persistent form of infection, defined as infection that continued more than five days after treatment.

These patients were hospitalized for between 30 and 38 days compared to 19 to 24 days for the other candidemia patients.

They were also more likely to have central venous catheters and severe sepsis.

Their 30-day mortality was 37% compared to 27% in the other group.

They concluded that C. tropicalis is the predominant cause of persistent infection.

“It is associated with poor outcome in persistent candidemia,” they wrote “Aggressive approach in patients with persistent candidemia caused by C. tropicalis should be encouraged.”