Pediatric Candidozyma auris Infection and Colonization in a Tertiary Pediatric Intensive Care Unit: A Single-Center...

Candidozyma auris is a multidrug-resistant yeast that can cause invasive infections and healthcare-associated outbreaks. This retrospective study evaluated seven pediatric patients in whom C. auris was detected in a tertiary pediatric intensive care unit in Türkiye between February 2023 and February 2024. The mean age of the patients was 95.71 ± 80.52 months. Five patients had chronic illnesses and a history of multiple hospitalizations. C. auris was isolated from blood (five isolates), urine (three isolates), skin swab (three isolates), and catheter tip (one isolate) cultures. At initial evaluation, one patient was classified as colonized, whereas six were diagnosed with clinically significant C. auris infections, including bloodstream infection, catheter-related bloodstream infection, and urinary tract infection. Of the five patients, three were initially diagnosed with urinary tract infection; however, one of these patients was ultimately considered to have urinary colonization rather than infection. Six patients received antifungal therapy. Five were treated for candidemia, and two of these patients also had concurrent urinary tract infection. All isolates were susceptible to echinocandins. Two patients died due to C. auris-related candidemia. Herein, we present our experience in controlling a suspected healthcare-associated C. auris outbreak and the treatment approaches implemented following the first identified C. auris case in our hospital.