Prevalence of Candida bloodstream isolates from patients in two hospitals in Vietnam

Background and Objectives: Identification of yeasts provides helpful information for appropriate administration of anti- fungal treatments; however, few reports from the Vietnam have been published. This study has been performed to find the prevalence of Candida blood stream isolates from patients in two hospitals in Vietnam. Materials and Methods: Candida spp. were isolated from blood cultures in two hospitals, Vietnam between May 2013 and May 2015. Participating hospitals were 103 Military Hospital, Ha Noi city (550 beds) and Cho Ray Hospital, Ho Chi Minh city (1800 beds). All the bloodstream isolates were identified to species level by the germ tube test and polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). In addition, unknown isolates were subjected to PCR sequencing. Results: A total of 93 Candida isolates were isolated from blood cultures during the study period. The results of this study showed that C. tropicalis (n = 47, 50.54%) was the most common agent, followed by Candida albicans/dubliniensis (n = 18, 19.35%), C. parapsilosis (n = 16, 17.20%), C. glabrata (n = 6, 6.45%), C. mesorugosa (n = 5, 5.38%) and C. krusei (n = 1, 1.08%), respectively. Conclusion: The frequency of the non-albicans Candida species in blood is increasing, especially C. tropicalis. Additional investigations should be made to clarify the epidemiological profile of invasive Candida bloodstream in Vietnam.