Infection and Drug Resistance (Jul 2025)

Risk Factors for Candidozyma auris Among Admitted Patients in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (2020–2022)

  • Alshahrani FS,
  • Elgujja AA,
  • Alsubaie S,
  • Ezreqat S,
  • Albarrag A,
  • Barry M,
  • Binkhamis K,
  • Alabdan L,
  • Bugshan HS,
  • Ledesma DR,
  • Khalifa LA,
  • Santiago J,
  • Abuhemid HA,
  • Alassaf R

Journal volume & issue
Vol. Volume 18, no. Issue 1
pp. 3369 – 3381

Abstract

Read online

Fatimah S Alshahrani,1– 3 Abba Amsami Elgujja,3 Sarah Alsubaie,1,4 Salah Ezreqat,3 Ahmed Albarrag,1,5 Mazin Barry,1,2,6 Khalifa Binkhamis,5 Lulwah Alabdan,2,3 Hind Salih Bugshan,3 Dianah Rose Ledesma,3 Layla Abdulmonim Khalifa,3 Jesammal Santiago,3 Haifaa Abdulrahman Abuhemid,7 Reema Alassaf7 1College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, 11362, Saudi Arabia; 2Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, King Saud University Medical City, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; 3IPAC Department, King Saud University Medical City, Riyadh, 11362, Saudi Arabia; 4Pediatric Department (Pediatric Infectious Diseases) King Saud University Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; 5Department of Pathology, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, 11461, Saudi Arabia; 6Division of Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8M5, Canada; 7College of Medicine, Imam Mohammed Ibn Saud Islamic University, Riyadh, Saudi ArabiaCorrespondence: Abba Amsami Elgujja, Infection Control Coordinator, Infection Prevention and Control Department, King Saud University Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Tel +966559470423, Email [email protected]: Candidozyma auris (formerly known as Candida auris (C. auris)) can cause invasive infections with high mortality rates and the ability to colonize the skin, persist in healthcare environments, and cause healthcare-associated outbreaks. Certain patients are at a significant risk of C. auris infection. Our hospital is a 1000-bed tertiary teaching hospital that caters to, among other patients, critically ill and immunocompromised patients.Objective: To identify the risk factors for C. auris infection/colonized patients in hospitals located in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.Methodology: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study of the risk factors associated with 53 C. auris cases identified from the beginning of 2020 to the end of 2022. We performed a retrospective review of all patients who tested positive for C. auris within the reporting period of their risk factors. Patients were triaged via a risk assessment tool at the time of admission to inpatient locations.Results: Of the 53 patients identified, 20 were females, and 33 were males, with ages ranging from 15 to 98 years. The identified risk factors included comorbidities (n = 44 (85%)), previous admission to other hospitals (n = 27 (50.9%)), and admission to the high-risk unit (n = 19 (35%)). The other variables included the presence of wounds (n = 18 (34%)), medical devices (n = 17 (32.1%)), and prior antimicrobial use (n = 12 (22%)).Conclusion: These findings are similar to those of other studies in that certain identified risk factors contribute to infection or colonization with C. auris.Plain Language Summary: This study followed an unprecedented reporting of a case of C. auris at our tertiary teaching hospital after a recent reporting of the first few cases in the Kingdom.Therefore, we are worried about the potential prevalence and possible risk factors associated with this disease.Keywords: Candida auris, C. auris, Candida, candidaemia, multidrug-resistant organisms, MDRO, emerging pathogens, resistant pathogens

Keywords