Candidemia: A Hospital Based Study in Haematological Patients in Adult Population of Northern India

Background: Candidemia has become a common cause of fungal infection in bloodstream infection throughout the world. In hematological malignancies, patients have high rate of morbidity and mortality due to Candidemia. Objective: Early diagnosis and specific identification of Candida species in hematological patients is main purpose of the proposed study. Methods: In present study we enrolled patients with hematological malignancies (duration November 2018- April 2022). For early diagnosis of Candidemia we did conventional method, antigen detection and PCR. We compared the conventional, automated, antigen detection test and PCR method for diagnosis of Candidemia and then we performed antifungal susceptibility testing for treatment in hematological patients. Results: Total 229 patients were enrolled on the basis of febrile neutropenia. Total 152/229 male (66.37%) and 77/229 (33.62%) were participated in present study followed by age range from 10- 77 years (Mean=33.65, Standard deviation=16.40). Prevalence of the Candidemia was 2.1 in the present study. Five patients (2.6%) were positive from blood culture and nine patients (4.8%) were positive by PCR. Among 4 patients of AML, there were 3 Candida troicalis (3; 1.60%) and 1 Candida auris (1; 0.5%) were present followed by 1 patient of pancytopenia Candida tropicalis (1; 0.5%) present. Conclusion: This present observational study recognizes main association of Candidemia in hematological malignancies. Automated methods are more sensitive and specific for species identification. We try to apply Non culture method like PCR and mannan antigen in routine laboratories to diagnose early stage Candidemia infection for better treatment to cure the disease.