The Second Case of Candida auris Candidemia from Turkey: An Impending Threat to the Global Health

Abstract

Candida auris is a rapidly emerging fungus, which is considered globally a cause of concern for public health. This report describes Turkey’s second case of Candida auris fungemia from a tertiary care hospital in İstanbul. An 18-year-old male patient with brain cancer was presented to the emergency department. Candida auris was isolated from both the catheter culture and the blood culture of the patient. The yeast was initially misidentified as Cryptococcus laurentii using the VITEK 2 system. The isolates were confirmed to be Candida auris by means of matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) and DNA sequence analysis. Antifungal susceptibility testing was performed on this Candida auris isolate, which exhibited high minimum inhibitory concentrations to fluconazole. The patient who received micafungin treatment died. Candida auris is potentially antifungal resistant pathogen, causing healthcare-associated infections and outbreaks. For these reasons, it is necessary to achieve an accurate and quick identification and to implement contact precautions quickly.

Keywords

• candida auris
• fluconazole
• candidemia
• intensive care unit