Invasive fungal infection: a visible menace

Abstract

Invasive fungal infections (IFI) are an upcoming threat in hospitalized patients. We studied the risk factors, aetiology, clinical features and outcomes (in the form of survival or death) in 30 cases displaying IFI. This was a prospective observational study. The prevalence of IFI in our study was 0.665 per 100 patients. Associated comorbidities observed included diabetes mellitus; neutropenia; chronic kidney disease; and malignancy. Therapies used included immunosuppressive therapy, including systemic steroids or chemotherapy drugs, and trauma. Some cases underwent major surgeries, some were treated using broad spectrum antibiotics. Some had sepsis or HIVinfection, some were on total parenteral nutrition (TPN) and some underwent instrumentation or ICU stay. The common IFIs observed were mucormycosis, followed by candidiasis, aspergillosis and cryptococcosis. The survival rate was 73.33% of cases, while death was recorded in 26.67% of cases.

Keywords

• Invasive fungal infection, risk factors, mucormycosis, asoergillosis, candidiasis, cryptococosis