CANDIDIASIS IN AN INTENSIVE-CARE UNIT

The case records of 34 'non-immunocompromised' intensive care unit patients infected with a Candida species during a 1-year period were reviewed: 23 patients had candidaemia and 11 patients had localised candidal intra-abdominal suppuration. Urinary and oropharyngeal colonisation occurred by the 5th hospital day. The first blood and peritoneal isolates were grown on the 11th and 14th days, respectively. All patients with candidaemia had at least one Candida species grown at another site. When compared with case-matched controls candidaemic patients had a longer length of hospital stay (P = 0,05) and tended to have a higher mortality.