Invasive fungal infections, particularly those caused by Candida species, are not uncommon in critically ill patients and are associated with considerable morbidity and mortality. Diagnosis and management of these infections can be challenging. In this review, we will briefly discuss recent epidemiological data on invasive candidiasis and current diagnostic approaches before concentrating on an...

BACKGROUND Invasive candidiasis (IC) is an important healthcare-related infection, with increasing incidence and a crude mortality exceeding 50%. Numerous treatment options are available yet comparative studies have not identified optimal therapy. METHODS We conducted an individual patient-level quantitative review of randomized trials for treatment of IC and to assess the impact of host-, or...

Candida albicans is an opportunistic human pathogen preferentially causing invasive and disseminated infection in patients with defective phagocytic defenses and serious mucocutaneous infection in patients with deficient T-cell function. Phagocytes appear to protect the host from fungal invasion even in the absence of adaptive immune mechanisms, while as-yet-undefined T-cell-dependent factors s...

Despite recent advances in both diagnosis and prevention, the incidence of invasive fungal infections continues to rise. Available antifungal agents to treat invasive fungal infections include polyenes, triazoles, and echinocandins. Unfortunately, individual agents within each class may be limited by spectrum of activity, resistance, lack of oral formulations, significant adverse event profiles...

This analysis describes the epidemiology and outcomes of invasive candidiasis caused by non-albicans species of Candida in patients enrolled in the Prospective Antifungal Therapy Alliance (PATH Alliance) registry from 2004 to 2008. A total of 2,496 patients with non-albicans species of Candida isolates were identified. The identified species were C. glabrata (46.4%), C. parapsilosis (24.7%), C....

To develop a serological diagnosis of invasive candidiasis based on detection of circulating secreted aspartyl proteinase (SAP) antigen of Candida albicans, three different enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) were compared. The first was a standard ELISA to detect anti-SAP antibodies, and the others were an antigen capture ELISA and an inhibition ELISA to detect circulating SAP antigen ...

Invasive candidiasis caused by Candida albicans and non-albicansCandida (NAC) present a serious disease threat. Although the echinocandins are recommended as the first line of antifungal drug class, resistance to these agents is beginning to emerge, demonstrating the need for new antifungal agents. Host defense peptides (HDP) exhibit potent antifungal activity, but as drugs they are difficult t...

Invasive fungal infections are an important cause of morbidity and mortality in hospitalized patients and in the immunocompromised population. This article reviews the current epidemiology of nosocomial fungal infections in adult patients, with an emphasis on invasive candidiasis and aspergillosis. Recently published recommendations and guidelines for the control and prevention of these nosocom...

The epidemiology of Candida infections has changed over the last two decades: The number of patients suffering from such infections has increased dramatically and the Candida species involved have become more numerous as Candida albicans is replaced as an infecting agent by various non-C. albicans species (NAC). At the same time, additional antifungal agents have become available. The different...

The gastrointestinal (GI) tract is a frequent source of hematogenous candidiasis in humans. Animal models of GI and hematogenous candidiasis have provided insights into the nature of candidal infection of host mucosal tissue, mechanisms of fungal dissemination to body organs, and features of host response to candidal infections. Biological systems such as these that simulate human candidiasis c...