Fungaemia survey: a 10-year experience in Bergamo, Italy

The authors analysed 10 years of experience of fungaemia at a Regional Italian Hospital, the Azienda Ospedaliera (A.O.) 'Ospedali Riuniti di Bergamo', Bergamo, Italy, from 1988 to 1997. One hundred and sixty-eight cases were observed, with a global incidence corresponding to 3.43/10,000 in-patients. Median age was 38.5 years and mean age was 38.9 years (range: 0-94 years). Female:male ratio was 1:1.75. Fungaemia occurred 25.7 days (mean value) after admission to the hospital. Aetiology was: 134 Candida spp. (70%), 11 Cryptococcus neoformans (6.5%), seven Torulopsis inconspicua (4.1%), three Trichosporon beigelii (1.8%), one Hansenula anomala (0.6%); three Fusarium verticillioides (1.8%), three Geotrichum candidum (1.8%) and one Histoplasma capsulatum (0.6%). Total mortality was 50.6%, and particularly related to Candida kefyr and Candida krusei, to Cr. neoformans and Fusarium spp.