Weekly use of fluconazole as prophylaxis in haematological patients at risk for invasive candidiasis.
BACKGROUND
The goal was to determine whether one medical centres' unique antifungal prophylactic regimen for patients at high risk for invasive candidiasis because of their haematological malignancies, haematopoietic stem cell transplants, or high-dose chemotherapy might lead ultimately to a higher incidence of infection, to increasing fluconazole resistance, or to a shift in the predominant strain of Candida in invasive fungal episodes.


METHODS
Data were collected retrospectively, for a ten-year period from ONKO-KISS surveillance records, and from hospital, medical, and pharmacy records and then evaluated with respect to incidence of fungal infection episodes, emergence of antifungal drug resistance, and predominance of specific Candida strains in isolate cultures. Fisher's exact test and linear regression were used to compare minimum inhibitory concentrations and to compare the incidence of different Candida isolates, respectively.


RESULTS
The incidence of infection remained quite stable over 10 years with a median of 0.67 episodes/1000 bed days. Overall, Candida glabrata was the predominant species with 29% followed by C. albicans and C. krusei (14% each). No significant increment of non-albicans Candida species with decreased fluconazole susceptibility was perceived over this decade.


CONCLUSIONS
Once weekly administration of 400 mg of fluconazole to prevent candidaemia appears to have no negative impact on the efficacy as a prophylaxis when compared to standard of care (400 mg of fluconazole daily).
Danielle
D
Vuichard
Maja
M
Weisser
Christina
C
Orasch
Reno
R
Frei
Dominik
D
Heim
Jakob R
JR
Passweg
Andreas F
AF
Widmer
D000328:Adult; D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D002175:Candida / Q000145:classification / Q000187:drug effects / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D058387:Candidemia / Q000517:prevention & control*; D058365:Candidiasis, Invasive / Q000517:prevention & control*; D025141:Drug Resistance, Fungal; D005260:Female; D015725:Fluconazole / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D019337:Hematologic Neoplasms / Q000382:microbiology; D006761:Hospitals; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013557:Switzerland
D000935:Antifungal Agents; D015725:Fluconazole