title: Candida spp. isolated from inpatients, the environment, and health practitioners in the Pediatric Unit at the Universitary Hospital of the Jundiaí Medical College, State of São Paulo, Brazil.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This study aimed to isolate and identify Candida spp. from the environment, health practitioners, and patients with the presumptive diagnosis of candidiasis in the Pediatric Unit at the Universitary Hospital of the Jundiaí Medical College, to verify the production of enzymes regarded as virulence factors, and to determine how susceptible the isolated samples from patients with candidiasis are to antifungal agents.
  
  
  METHODS
  Between March and November of 2008 a total of 283 samples were taken randomly from the environment and from the hands of health staff, and samples of all the suspected cases of Candida spp. hospital-acquired infection were collected and selected by the Infection Control Committee. The material was processed and the yeast genus Candida was isolated and identified by physiological, microscopic, and macroscopic attributes.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The incidence of Candida spp. in the environment and employees was 19.2%. The most frequent species were C. parapsilosis and C. tropicalis among the workers, C. guilliermondii and C. tropicalis in the air, C. lusitanae on the contact surfaces, and C. tropicalis and C. guilliermondii in the climate control equipment. The college hospital had 320 admissions, of which 13 (4%) presented Candida spp. infections; three of them died, two being victims of a C. tropicalis infection and the remaining one of C. albicans. All the Candida spp. in the isolates evidenced sensitivity to amphotericin B, nystatin, and fluconazole.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The increase in the rate of hospital-acquired infections caused by Candida spp. indicates the need to take larger measures regarding recurrent control of the environment.
authors.affiliation: Curso de Medicina, Faculdade de Medicina de Jundiaí, Jundiaí, SP. l.storti@gmail.com
authors.forename: Lucas Ruiz
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Storti
authors.forename: Giuliano
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pasquale
authors.forename: Rogério
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Scomparim
authors.forename: Ana Lúcia
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Galastri
authors.forename: Flávio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Alterthum
authors.forename: Walderez
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Gambale
authors.forename: Claudete
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rodrigues Paula
mesh_terms: D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D002175:Candida / Q000145:classification / Q000187:drug effects / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D002177:Candidiasis / Q000382:microbiology*; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000382:microbiology*; D006225:Hand / Q000382:microbiology*; D006785:Hospitals, University; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007297:Inpatients; D015278:Intensive Care Units, Pediatric; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D010564:Personnel, Hospital
chemical_list: D000935:Antifungal Agents