  
Two new cases of invasive Candida dubliniensis infection reported
Last Updated: 2001-04-17 15:31:05 EDT (Reuters Health)
WESTPORT, CT (Reuters Health) - American investigators have confirmed two new cases of invasive, opportunistic Candida dubliniensis infection in cancer patients. This raises the number of confirmed cases of invasive infection with this emerging pathogen to nine, according to the report published in the April 1st issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases.
Dr. Kent A. Sepkowitz, of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, in New York City, and colleagues examined the frequency, characteristics and susceptibility to treatment of C. dubliniensis among cancer and HIV-infected patients seen between 1998 and 1999. The investigators identified 22 isolates in 16 of 974 patients, yielding an overall infection prevalence of about 2%.
"All isolates produced germ tubes and chlamydospores at 37ºC, did not grow at 45ºC, and gave negative reactions with D-xylose and alpha-methyl-D-glucoside in the API 20 C AUX and ID 32 C yeast identification systems," the authors report.
Of the 16 patients, 14 were colonized with C. dubliniensis or had a superficial fungal infection. The remaining two patients were diagnosed with invasive C. dubliniensis infection.
All 22 isolates were sensitive to every antifungal agent tested--amphotericin B, 5-fluorocytosine, fluconazole, itraconazole and ketoconazole--despite prior reports of reduced susceptibility to fluconazole.
"It appears that the clinical spectrum of C. dubliniensis resembles that of C. albicans," Dr. Sepkowitz and his team conclude. "Future studies will determine whether this pathogen will become a significant cause of illness among immunocompromised patients."
Clin Infect Dis 2001;32:1034-1038.
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