Abstract

Purpose
Indwelling urinary catheter is considered the most important risk factor for healthcare-associated urinary tract infection (UTI). The aim of the current study was to compare the prevalence of species distribution and susceptibilities of antifungals against clinical isolates of yeasts from funguria with and without urinary catheter. Materials and Methods: We analyzed 45,839 urine specimens collected from patients between 2011 and 2013. Species identification and antifungal susceptibility test to amphotericin B, fluconazole, voriconazole, and flucytosine were performed using the VITEK 2 system (Biomérieux Inc.). Results: A total of 1,048 (2.29%) urine specimens were yeast culture positive. The most frequent species was Candida albicans (49.0%), followed by C. tropicalis (18.6%), C. glabrata (12.2%), and Trichosporon asahii (7.2%). C. tropicalis was isolated more frequently in catheterized urine than in voided urine (p＜0.05). For C. albicans and C. glabrata, frequencies of non-susceptible to fluconazole or voriconazole were higher in catheterized urine than in voided urine. Conclusions: The results of this study suggest the possibility that urinary catheter may influence species distribution of yeast and antifungal susceptibilities. Further investigation is warranted to improve infection control strategies for healthcare- associated UTI.

• Keywords: Urinary tract infections; Urinary catheters; Yeasts; Microbial sensitivity tests