Candida parapsilosis is an important
non-albican species responsible
for
invasive fungal infections and
hospital
acquired infections especially
in critical care patients. C.
parapsilosis
complex has been renamed
according
to genetic bases into 3 different
species C.
parapsilosis sensu
stricto,
C. metapsilosis and C. orthopsilosis.
This study was designed
to
describe the distribution and antifungal
susceptibility profile of the
three
members of Candida
parapsilosis
complex among patients of intensive
care units (ICUs) in Mansoura
University
Hospitals. Candida
parapsilosis
was identified by Analytic
Profile
Index (API) 20 C. C.
parapsilosis
sensu stricto, C. orthopsilosis and C. metapsilosis were recog- nized according to the secondary alcohol
dehydrogenase (SADH) restriction
pattern using BanI restriction
enzyme. Antifungal susceptibility
testing
was performed by E test. A
total
of 68 C.
parapsilosis isolates
were
included in this study. Sixty-two
isolates
(91.2%) were identified as
C.
parapsilosis sensu stricto, 4
(5.9%)
were identified as C.
orthopsilosis,
and 2 isolates were identified
as C. metapsilosis (2.9%). All isolates
of the C.
parapsilosis complex
species
were sensitive to amphotricin
B. Fifty isolates (80.6%) of C.
parapsilosis
sensu stricto
were susceptible
to fluconazole; 7 isolates
(11.3%)
were susceptible-dose dependent
(SDD) to fluconazole, and 5
isolates
(8.1%) were resistant to fluconazole.
Most of C.
parapsilosis sensu stricto isolates were sensitive
to itraconazole 59 (95.2%). No itraconazole
or fluconazole resistance
were
found among the C.
metapsilosis
and C.
orthopsilosis isolates;
there
was single
C. orthopsilosis
isolate
SDD to both itraconazole and
fluconazole.