DOI: 10.36347/sjams.2014.v02i06.068

Pages: 3193-3198

The occurrence of infections due to various species of Candida has increased as a result of increase in favourable factors for opportunistic infections. Identification of species of Candida and their susceptibility patterns to antimycotic drugs can be helpful in the management of these infections. The aim of the study is to speciate Candida isolates from various clinical specimens at a tertiary care hospital and to study their susceptibility to antifungal agents. The materials for the study include one hundred and five isolates of Candida in hundred different clinical specimens from hospitalized chronic ill patients. Speciation of Candida isolates was done by germ tube test, morphotyping using cornmeal agar & HICHROME Candida agar and biotyping using a battery of sugar assimilation and fermentation tests. The antifungal susceptibility testing was performed using disc diffusion method. Results showed that among the hundred specimens double species of Candida were isolated from five specimens. Twenty six isolates were from HIV reactive patients and eighteen were from diabetic patients. Most common isolate among all species of Candida was C. albicans (31.42%) followed by C. tropicalis (26.66%). Except C. kefyr all other isolated Candida species were susceptible to Amphotericin – B and Nystatin. Ketoconazole was the next effective drug with 83.8% susceptibility. 34.2% resistance was observed with fluconazole. To conclude resistance to antifungal drugs was observed in various isolated species of Candida and highest resistance was to fluconazole.