[Candida infections in intensive care patients]

In 31 of 60 long-term ventilated intensive-care patients, a significant Candida antigen titer in serum was found that correlated with positive Candida cultures. In some cases the detection of the antigen was the first indication of Candida infection, while the isolation of the infectious agent required a culture period of 24-48 hours. In addition to routinely performed controls of Candida colonisation, determination of Candida antigen in the serum appears to be a valuable tool in the early diagnosis of candida infections.