Antifungal susceptibility patterns of colonized species isolates from immunocompromised pediatric patients in five university hospitals.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Colonization of species is common in pediatric patients admitted to hematology-oncology wards. The aim of this study was to identify colonized species and their susceptibility patterns in hematologic pediatric patients.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Samples were collected from mouth, nose, urine and stool of the patients admitted to five university hospitals and cultured on sabouraud dextrose agar. The isolates were identified by API 20 C AUX system and their susceptibility patterns were evaluated by CLSI M27-A3 and S4.

RESULTS

From 650 patients, 320 (49.2%) were colonized with 387 species. was the most prevalent isolated species, followed by and . The epidemiological cut off value (ECV) for all species to amphotericin B was ≤0.25 μg except (4 μg). The resistance rate to fluconazole in this study in was 4.9% with ECV 8 μg/ml, followed by 8.8% with ECV 0.5 μg/ml. Voriconazole and posaconazole were effective antifungal agents for all isolates. The ECV of and for itraconazole were 0.5, 0.25, 0.5, 1 and 2 μg, respectively. The resistant and intermediate rates of species to caspofungin in this study were 2.9%, 5.9%, 18.8%, 47.9%, 0.0% and 16.7% in and respectively.

CONCLUSION

was the most prevalent species in pediatric colonized patients. New azole agents like voriconazole and posaconazole are effective against non-albicans species. Increase in intermediate species is alarming to future emerging resistant species.