P089 Candidemia: prevalence, species characterization ,and the antibiotic susceptibility profile from a tertiary care hospital in north india

Abstract Poster session 1, September 21, 2022, 12:30 PM - 1:30 PM Objectives The aim of this study was to characterize the Candida spp. isolated from blood cultures and determine the antifungal susceptibility pattern of the Candida species prevalent in a tertiary care hospital in North India. Methods This retrospective study was conducted in Department of Microbiology of a tertiary care hospital in North India from April 2020 to March 2022. All blood cultures received in the department during this period were included in the study. Candida species isolated were identified and antifungal susceptibility testing was performed by VITEK as per standard protocol, The susceptibility pattern of 50 isolates was also performed by the broth microdilution method as per Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute guidelines (CLSI) and the results were compared with VITEK results. Results Out of 21 804 blood cultures received during this period, 177 grew Candida species. Therefore, the overall prevalence of Candida species was 0.81% in our study. The incidence of bloodstream infection caused by non-albicans Candida species (80%) was higher than C. albicans (20%). Among NAC species, C. tropicalis (45%) was the most common, followed by C. pelliculosa (15%). Candidemia was predominantly observed in ICU patients. Resistance was seen in 14.1% isolates to voriconazole and fluconazole, 4.2% to flucytosine and 3.9% to caspofungin and amphotericin-B. No resistance was seen to micafungin. A total of 15% of the isolates were resistant to more than one drug. Conclusion There was a predominance of non-albicans Candida over C. albicans. Maximum resistance was seen to voriconazole followed by fluconazole. Continuous surveillance is necessary to follow trends and monitor changes in epidemiological and resistance patterns in different geographical regions, especially in critically ill patients.