Identification and assessment of antifungal susceptibility of Candida species based on bronchoalveolar lavage in immunocompromised and critically ill patients

The presence of fungi in the respiratory tract as mycobiome, particularly Candida species (spp.), remains a serious problem due to increasing numbers of immunocompromised pa-tients. The confirmed reliable existence of these pathogens due to frequent colonization is essential. This investigation aimed to recognize Candida spp. among isolates from bron-choalveolar lavage of immunocompromised and critically ill patients and to evaluate their susceptibility to antimycotic drugs.

Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid was collected from 161 hospitalized patients presenting with suspected respiratory fungal infection /colonization. The specimens were examined by standard molecular and mycological assays. Candida spp. were recognized with sequence assessment of the D1-D2 section of the large subunit ribosomal DNA. The susceptibility of Candida isolates to common antimycotic drugs was distinguished by standard broth micro-dilution.

Seventy-one clinical isolates of Candida spp. were recognized. Candida albicans was the most frequent, followed by C. glabrata, C. krusei (Pichia kudriavzevii), C. dubliniensis, C. parapsilosis, and C. tropicalis. We found 5.1% of C. albicans isolates and 8% of C. glabrata isolates to show resistance to fluconazole. The whole of the Candida spp. were sensitive to amphotericin B and caspofungin.

This study demonstrated that C. albicans and C. glabrata are the most common isolates of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid in patients, and the drug susceptibility screening confirmed that amphotericin B and caspofungin are effective against Candida spp. but some C. glabrata and C. albicans isolates showed resistance to fluconazole.