Hospital Practices and Research

Abstract Background: Different studies have shown that despite the expanding number of antifungal drugs, the death rate caused by Candida species has increased during the recent decades due to drug resistance occurrence.
Objectives: The present study aims to identify molecular structure and evaluate drug susceptibility in Candida species isolated from bronchoalveolar lavage fluid in patients diagnosed with hematological malignancies.
Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 54 clinical specimens were taken from the bronchoalveolar lavage of patients. The suspected colonies were investigated by microscopic examination and subsequent passages were evaluated according to standard operating procedures and specification of the type of colony color prescribed by CHROMagar to isolate the yeast. The sequencing method (ITS1, ITS4) was used to approve Candida species. Finally, susceptibility test was carried out according to M27S-3 and M38-A2 micro-dilution methods.
Results: Among 54 samples investigated with culture and PCR methods, 33 Candida species were identified in patients with hematological malignancies. Candida albicans (75.7%) was the most common fungal isolate. Results of drug susceptibility tests showed that the isolated C. albicans (n = 2), C. glabrata (n = 1), and C. tropicalis (n = 1) from patients with hematological malignancies were resistant to fluconazole. The present study showed that the prevalence of C. albicans was higher than other fungal species among patients with hematological malignancies.
Conclusion: Candida species are more susceptible to voriconazole, amphotericin B and Caspofungin. Therefore, identification of candida species along with their antifungal susceptibility pattern can help clinicians to better treat patients.