Species distribution and antifungal susceptibility pattern of candida isolates from pregnant women in a tertiary hospital in Nigeria

Abstract

Introduction: Information regarding the resistance pattern of Candida species in developing countries  is limited. Most sensitivity studies were performed on few isolates and/or few antifungal agents using  the disc diffusion method because of limited resources.Methods and Material: We evaluated six antifungal agents against Candida isolates recovered from  the vagina of apparently healthy pregnant women using the E-test method.Results: One hundred and seventy Candida isolates recovered from 500 participants were identified and subjected to an antifungal susceptibility test. Candida albicans(53.5%) was the most common specie  identified, followed by Candida glabrata(14.1%). C. albicans was mostly resistant to itraconazole (31.9%), with MIC 50 and 90 of 0.038 mg/L and 6 mg/L, respectively. Resistance to 5-fluorocytosine, fluconazole, and voriconazole was not observed for C. albicans. Caspofungin resistance was observed in 3 C.  albicansand 1 C. glabrata isolates. Resistance to amphotericin B (50%) and itraconazole (100%) were the highest for C. glabrata. Flucytosine and voriconazole resistance was not observed in this study.Conclusion: The observed species diversity and the presence of C. albicans resistance to 3 of the 6  antifungal agents tested justify the need for a regular surveillance of the sensitivity pattern to antifungal  drugs in Nigeria.