Urinary candidiasis: a prospective study in hospital patients

Area of Science:

• Medical Mycology
• Hospital Epidemiology
• Infectious Diseases

Background:

• Candiduria, the presence of yeast in urine, can occur in hospitalized patients.
• Risk factors for candiduria include diabetes mellitus and urinary catheterization.
• Understanding the prevalence and species distribution of urinary Candida is crucial for patient management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the occurrence and characteristics of candiduria in hospital inpatients.
• To identify risk factors associated with candiduria.
• To determine the species distribution of yeasts isolated from urine samples.

Main Methods:

• Prospective study design.
• Inclusion of 29 hospital inpatients with candiduria.
• Comparison of risk factor prevalence with the general hospital population.
• Yeast species identification from urine and other sites.

Main Results:

• Yeast frequently isolated from urine without symptoms; no serious deep fungal infections observed.
• Significantly higher prevalence of diabetes mellitus and urinary catheterization in candiduria patients.
• Non-albicans Candida species were more common in urine (39%) compared to other sites (18%).

Conclusions:

• Asymptomatic candiduria is a frequent finding in hospitalized patients, particularly those with diabetes or urinary catheters.
• Non-albicans Candida species represent a significant proportion of urinary yeast isolates.
• Further research may be needed to guide management strategies for asymptomatic candiduria.