Candida utilis: A Rare Cause of Septicemia in Two Immunocompetent Patients in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit

Abstract

In recent years, an evident rise in the frequency of candidaemia caused by non-albicans Candida species has been reported. Candida utilis is a low-virulence fungus that is commonly used in the food processing industry. Only a few studies have reported invasive infection due to C. utilis. In this paper, we present two cases of clinically manifested candidaemia and sepsis caused by C. utilis. This was a retrospective study carried out at a tertiary intensive care center in Turkey. Two C. utilis were isolated from blood culture over a 6-month period. C. utilis fungemia has mainly been reported in immunocompromised patients, neonates, and following surgical intervention. The two cases discussed here did not have a defined immunodeficiency. Both patients had common risk factors such as prolonged stay in the pediatric intensive care unit and the presence of a central venous catheter. Our aim in reporting these cases is to highlight C. utilis as a probable cause of candidemia in hospitalized pediatric patients and can be mortal.

Keywords

• invasive fungal disease
• candida utilis
• candidemia
• sepsis
• pediatric intensive care
• children