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Updated: May 10, 2026
A Neonatal Imaging Model of Gram-Negative Bacterial Sepsis
Published on: August 12, 2020
Background changing patterns of neonatal fungal sepsis in a developing country
Daynia E Ballot1, Noma Bosman, Trusha Nana
1Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Background:
Candida albicans is the predominant isolate in many neonatal fungal bloodstream infections (BSIs), so fluconazole is used as empiric antifungal therapy.
Aim:
To determine the predominant organisms, antifungal sensitivity patterns, clinical and demographic risk factors and crude mortality rate in neonatal fungal BSI cases.
Subjects And Methods:
This is a review of all neonatal fungal BSI cases between January 2007 and December 2011.
Results:
Fifty-nine patients were included in the study. Candida parapsilosis (54.2%) was isolated in majority of the cases, followed by C. albicans (27.1%). Fluconazole resistance was present in 16 of 32 cases of C. parapsilosis versus 1 of 16 cases of C. albicans (P = 0.003). Mortality rate was 45.8%. Surgical problems were present in 55.9%. Death was significantly associated with lower birth weight (P = 0.046) and necrotizing enterocolitis (P = 0.034).
Conclusions:
The increase in neonatal fungal BSI and resistant organisms highlights the need to review use of routine empiric fluconazole and to implement preventive measures.
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