Antifungal susceptibility of <i>Candida</i> spp. bloodstream isolates identified by real-time polymerase chain reaction: 2022-2023

Background: here are described the antifungal susceptibility patterns of Candida spp. isolates identified by Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) from positive blood cultures collected from patients hospitalized at the Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria SS. Antonio e Biagio e Cesare Arrigo of Alessandria during the period 2022-2023. Materials and Methods: all patients for whom clinical data were available and from whom blood cultures were collected and were positive only for yeasts, were included in the study. All blood cultures were processed by both Real-Time PCR and classic culture method. Results: in our case series of 67 blood cultures positive only for yeasts, all isolates were susceptible to echinocandins and amphotericin B. Among the Candida parapsilosis and Candida glabrata isolates, 8/19 (42%) and 2/14 (14.3%), respectively, were resistant to fluconazole. Conclusions: the rapid identification of the fungal isolate by means of RT-PCR along with the knowledge of the local susceptibility patterns can be of help in choosing the better antifungal therapy until the antimycogram is available.