Risk Factors for Candidozyma auris Among Admitted Patients in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (2020-2022)

Candidozyma auris (formerly known as Candida auris (C. auris)) can cause invasive infections with high mortality rates and the ability to colonize the skin, persist in healthcare environments, and cause healthcare-associated outbreaks. Certain patients are at a significant risk of C. auris infection. Our hospital is a 1000-bed tertiary teaching hospital that caters to, among other patients, critically ill and immunocompromised patients.

To identify the risk factors for C. auris infection/colonized patients in hospitals located in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

This was a descriptive cross-sectional study of the risk factors associated with 53 C. auris cases identified from the beginning of 2020 to the end of 2022. We performed a retrospective review of all patients who tested positive for C. auris within the reporting period of their risk factors. Patients were triaged via a risk assessment tool at the time of admission to inpatient locations.

Of the 53 patients identified, 20 were females, and 33 were males, with ages ranging from 15 to 98 years. The identified risk factors included comorbidities (n = 44 (85%)), previous admission to other hospitals (n = 27 (50.9%)), and admission to the high-risk unit (n = 19 (35%)). The other variables included the presence of wounds (n = 18 (34%)), medical devices (n = 17 (32.1%)), and prior antimicrobial use (n = 12 (22%)).

These findings are similar to those of other studies in that certain identified risk factors contribute to infection or colonization with C. auris.