First Case of Catheter-related Bloodstream Infection Caused by <i>Wickerhamiella pararugosa</i> in Korea

yeasts and non-albicans Candida spp., attributed to a growing population of susceptible individuals, increasing antifungal resistance, and advances in diagnostic technologies [1-3].Wickerhamiella pararugosa, formerly known as Candida pararugosa, is a rare human pathogen, with only nine cases of bloodstream infection reported globally since its first isolation from clinical specimens in 1978 [4-11].However, no such cases have been reported in Korea to date.This report presents the first case in Korea of catheter-related bloodstream infection (CRBSI) caused by W. pararugosa in a patient with terminal-stage cancer who presented with fever and altered mental status.The yeast was consecutively isolated from chemoport-drawn blood and chemoport tip cultures.Identification was performed using the MALDI Biotyper (Bruker, Bremen, Germany) and sequence analysis of the D1/D2 domain of the 26S ribosomal DNA and the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region.The chemoport was removed, and micafungin was initiated based on antifungal susceptibility testing, which showed a high minimum inhibitory