title: Rapid identification of Candida spp. in peritonitis patients by Raman spectroscopy.
abstract: This prospective study evaluated Raman spectroscopy for the identification of clinically relevant Candida spp. in peritonitis patients. A Raman database was developed by measuring spectra from 93 reference strains belonging to ten different Candida spp. Clinical samples were obtained from the surgical department and intensive care unit of a tertiary university hospital. In total, 88 peritoneal specimens from 45 patients with primary, secondary or tertiary peritonitis were included. Specimens were cultured initially on a selective Sabouraud medium that contained gentamicin to suppress bacterial growth. For conventional identification, a chromogenic medium was used for presumptive identification, followed by use of the Vitek 2 system for definitive identification (requiring a total time of 48-96 h). Raman measurements were taken on overnight cultures from Sabouraud-gentamicin medium. Thirty-one samples were positive for Candida by culture. Using multivariate statistical analyses, a prediction accuracy of 90% was obtained for Raman spectroscopy, which appears to offer an accurate and rapid (12-24 h) alternative for the identification of Candida spp. in peritonitis patients. The reduced turn-around time is of great clinical importance for the treatment of critically ill patients with invasive candidiasis in intensive care units.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery and Surgical Intensive Care Unit, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Ibelings
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Maquelin
authors.forename: H Ph
authors.initials: HP
authors.lastname: Endtz
authors.forename: H A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Bruining
authors.forename: G J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Puppels
mesh_terms: D002175:Candida / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D002177:Candidiasis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000382:microbiology; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D006801:Humans; D010538:Peritonitis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000382:microbiology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013059:Spectrum Analysis, Raman / Q000379:methods*; D013997:Time Factors