Prevalence of Candida species in umbilical catheters implanted in newborns in Natal, Brazil

Fungi are common causes of infection in immunocompromised patients. Candida species are frequently involved in these cases. In order to investigate candidiasis in pediatric patients with cancer, clinical samples were collected from one hundred and twenty two patients interned in the Oswaldo Cruz University Hospital in Recife, Brazil. Yeasts were isolated from thirty-four clinical samples. The species isolated were: Candida albicans (fourteen isolates), C. parapsilosis (nine isolates), C. guilliermondii (two isolates) and C. tropicalis (two isolates). We found that candidemia was most frequent in patients with malignant hematology and that C. parapsilosis infections caused the highest mortality.

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Candidiasis in pediatric patients with cancer interned in a university hospital

Parahym¹,

Melo²,

Morais³

et al. 2009

“…Lanes: (1) Bovine catalase (comercial); (2) Catalase of C. tropicalis + NS; (3) Catalase of C. tropicalis + AS- C.t. ; (4) Catalase of C. albicans + NS; (5) Catalase of C. albicans + AS- C.t. ; (6) Catalase of C. parapsilosis + NS; (7) Catalase of C. parapsilosis + AS- C.t.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Lanes: (1) Catalase of C. parapsilosis + NS; (2) Catalase of C. parapsilosis + AS- C.p. ; (3) Catalase of C. tropicalis + NS; (4) Catalase of C. tropicalis + AS- C.p. ; (5) Catalase of C. albicans + NS; (6) Catalase of C. albicans + AS- C.p.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The Candida genus is the fourth most common group of microorganisms recovered from the bloodstream of patients in the United States (6). Similarly, the rates of Candida infections have increased substantially in Europe (17) and in Brazil (4). C. albicans is the most frequent species isolated, but many studies have documented an increase in the prevalence of different species of Candida such as C. tropicalis , C. parapsilosis (3,4).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Catalase activity of different Candida species after exposition to specific antiserum

Miyasaka¹,

Unterkircher²,

Shimizu³

2008

Antisera were developed in rabbits after challenge with intracellular antigens of Candida albicans, C. tropicalis and C. parapsilosis. Microorganism catalase has been correlated with virulence, resistance to drugs and immunogenicity. The intracellular catalase is consistently present in strains of Candida and in this paper, the enzyme activity was analysed by PAGE after exposition to antisera. The catalases of C. albicans, C. parapsilosis and C. tropicalis were immunogenic and differed in their binding to specific antibodies raised in rabbits. Tests of cross-reactivity between different Candida species showed that when antiserum from C. albicans immunized rabbit was incubated with intracellular extracts of these three Candida species, the catalases activities were abolished. However, the antisera from C. parapsilosis or C. tropicalis immunized rabbits did not affect the catalase activity of C. albicans; the enzyme of C. albicans was inactivated only by the antiserum to the catalase of own C. albicans. The antiserum to the catalase of C. tropicalis was species-specific and did not cross-react with catalases of C. albicans and C. parapsilosis. The activities of Aspergillus niger and bovine catalases were not affected by the antiserum from any Candida immunized rabbits. This report is a preliminary study of specific antisera that react against intracellular catalase of Candida sp. and neutralize the enzymatic activity. Further study is necessary to develop species-specific antibody once differences in the susceptibility of the Candida species to commonly used antifungal drugs make identification to the species level important.

“…The two former agents mainly originate from the skin during catheter insertion or from the health care staff's hands. Candida albicans, followed by C. parapsilosis are the main representatives of this gender in catheter-related infections (6,13,15).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparison between qualitative and semiquantitative catheter-tip cultures: laboratory diagnosis of catheter-related infection in newborns

Marconi¹,

Cunha²,

Lyra³

et al. 2008

This prospective study evaluated semiquantitative and qualitative catheter-culture methods for diagnosis of catheter-related infection (CRI) in newborns. Catheter tips from newborns admitted to the Neonatal Unit of the University Hospital of the Botucatu Medical School, UNESP were included in the study. Catheter cultures were performed with both semiquantitative and qualitative techniques. For CRI diagnosis, microorganisms isolated from catheter cultures and from peripheral blood cultures were identified and submitted to agent susceptibility test. The gold standard was the certain CRI diagnosis when same microorganism (specie and profile of susceptibility to agents) was isolated from both catheter tips and peripheral blood culture. A total of 85 catheters from 63 newborns were included in the study. The semiquantitative culture method, despite presenting lower sensitivity (90%), showed higher specificity (71%) when compared to 100% of sensitivity and 60% of specificity in the qualitative method. The identification of the microorganisms obtained from the catheter cultures showed a prevalence of coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS) species. The specie Staphylococcus epidermidis (77.5%) was the prevalent in the catheters with positive semiquantitative cultures. Among 11 episodes with CRI diagnosis, 8 (72.7%) were associated with CNS species, of which 6 were S. epidermidis. Two episodes of CRI by S. aureus and one by Candida parapsilosis were also detected. The semiquantitative catheter-culture method showed advantages for CRI diagnosis in newborns when compared to the conservative qualitative method.