The distribution and drug susceptibilities of clinical Candida species in TSARY 2014

The species distribution and drug susceptibilities of 1106 Candida isolates collected in Taiwan Surveillance of Antimicrobial Resistance of Yeasts (TSARY) in 2014 were determined. Candida albicans is still the dominant species, accounting for 35.9%, followed by 28.3% C. glabrata, 26.6% C. tropicalis, 5.2% C. parapsilosis, 1.0% C. krusei, and 3.0% of 13 other species. Interestingly, the prevalence of candidemia caused by C. glabrata in the present study is significantly higher than that in previous three surveys (39/220 vs. 54/471, P = 0.025). We found that 31 (2.8%), 24 (2.2%), 1 (0.09%), and 0 isolates were resistant to fluconazole, voriconazole, anidulafungin, and amphotericin B, respectively. There is a significant increase in fluconazole (P = 0.00002) and voriconazole (P = 0.00006) resistant rates when compared to the isolates collected in 2010. Importantly, all the 24 voriconazole resistant isolates identified were also resistant to fluconazole. Hence, cross-resistance among azole-type drugs is an emerging issue for managing fungal infections.