Profile of yeasts isolated from urinary tracts of catheterized patients.
OBJECTIVE
Nosocomial fungal infections are important cause of morbidity and mortality in hospital patients. Urinary catheters have been held responsible to cause a large number of hospital acquired Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs). This study was undertaken to determine the incidence of nosocomial Candiduria associated with in dwelling urinary catheters, to characterize the species and assess their resistance to antifungal agents.


METHODS
Urine specimens from 510 catheterized patients were inoculated on Sabauraud Dextrose Agar; the species identification of Candida isolates was done by biochemical tests and antifungal susceptibility testing was done by disc diffusion method.


RESULTS
Candida was isolated in 112 (21.96%) specimens. Of these, Candida albicans was commonly isolated in 50.89% followed by C. tropicalis, C. glabrata, C. krusei, C. parapsilosis, C. guillermondi and C. pseudotropicalis. Fluconazole resistance was encountered in some isolates. All C. glabrata and C. krusei were uniformly resistant to fluconazole and 8 of 16 C. tropicalis were also resistant to it. But only 7 of 57 isolates of C. albicans were resistant to it. Resistance to Nystatin was seen in 34 isolates. Similarly, emergence of resistance was also seen to Ketoconazole and Itraconazole in 24 of 112 isolates. Amphoterecin B resistance was exhibited by 3 C. albicans, 2 C. tropicalis, 1 C. glabrata and 1 C. krusei strain. C. albicans is an important nosocomial pathogen causing UTI in catheterized patients, nevertheless role of other species of Candida as emergent pathogens and resistance to antifungal drugs needs to be emphasized.
Assistant Professor, Department of Microbiology, Government Medical College , Nagpur, Maharashtra, India .
Meena
M
Mishra
Assistant Professor, Department of Microbiology, Government Medical College , Nagpur, Maharashtra, India .
Seema
S
Agrawal
Professor, Department of Microbiology, Government Medical College , Nagpur, Maharashtra, India .
Sharmila
S
Raut
Associate Professor, Department of Microbiology, Government Medical College , Nagpur, Maharashtra, India .
A M
AM
Kurhade
Dean, Department of Microbiology, Government Medical College , Nagpur, Maharashtra, India .
R M
RM
Powar
C. albicans; Candida; UTI; Yeasts