Candidiasis in pediatric patients with cancer interned in a university hospital

Abstract

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.

Epidemiology of Fungal Colonization in Children Treated at the Department of Oncology and Hematology: Single-Center Experience

“…In contrast to other centers, we detected fewer Candida parapsilosis isolates [ 11 , 17 , 24 , 36 ].…”

“…We noticed a significant difference in positive fungal samples detected from the urinary tract between 2015 and 2018–2019. Candida albicans was the leading pathogen in this sample source, similar to other referred studies [ 11 ]. This observation is important, suggesting that urinary tract infections could end with fungemia [ 39 , 40 ], and need more inspection.…”

“…The majority of epidemiological data on this topic has come from case studies or single-center studies concerning a single fungal species or examining specific populations [ 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 ]. Many researchers have investigated a single fungal species in studies published over 10 years ago [ 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 ].…”

Oral Complications of Chemotherapy on Paediatric Patients with Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

“…Unfortunately, there are no fully selective therapies yet and the body ends up suffering adverse effects that can compromise the patient's quality of life. These therapies and the cancer disease itself are deeply linked to oral health [1][2][3]. Existing evidence indicates that the chemotherapy used to treat paediatric cancer is associated with disturbances in tooth development, poorer oral hygiene, oral lesions, hyposalivation and an increased prevalence of dental caries when compared to healthy children [4].…”