Fungemia is a co-infection contributing to the worsening of the critically ill COVID-19 patient. The multicenter Italian observational study FiCoV aims to estimate the frequency of yeast bloodstream infections (BSIs), to describe the factors associated with yeast BSIs in COVID-19 patients hospitalized in 10 hospitals, and to analyze the antifungal susceptibility profiles of the yeasts isolated from blood cultures. The study included all hospitalized adult COVID-19 patients with a yeast BSI; anonymous data was collected from each patient and data about antifungal susceptibility was collected. Yeast BSI occurred in 1.06% of patients, from 0.14% to 3.39% among the 10 participating centers. Patients were mainly admitted to intensive or sub-intensive care units (68.6%), over 60 years of age (73%), with a mean and median time from the hospitalization to fungemia of 29 and 22 days, respectively. Regarding risk factors for fungemia, most patients received corticosteroid therapy during hospitalization (61.8%) and had a comorbidity (25.3% diabetes, 11.5% chronic respiratory disorder, 9.5% cancer, 6% haematological malignancies, 1.4% organ transplantation). Antifungal therapy was administered to 75.6% of patients, mostly echinocandins (64.5%). The fatality rate observed in COVID-19 patients with yeast BSI was significantly higher than that of COVID-19 patients without yeast BSI (45.5% versus 30.5%). Candida parapsilosis (49.8%) and C. albicans (35.2%) were the most fungal species isolated; 72% of C. parapsilosis strains were fluconazole-resistant (range 0-93.2% among the centers). The FiCoV study highlights a high prevalence of Candida BSIs in critically ill COVID-19 patients, especially hospitalized in an intensive care unit, a high fatality rate associated with the fungal co-infection, and the worrying spread of azole-resistant C. parapsilosis.

Yeast Bloodstream Infections in the COVID-19 Patient: A Multicenter Italian Study (FiCoV Study) / Prigitano, A; Blasi, E; Calabrò, M; Cavanna, C; Cornetta, M; Farina, C; Grancini, A; Innocenti, P; Lo Cascio, G; Nicola, L; Trovato, L; Cogliati, M; Esposto, Mc; Tortorano, Am; Romanò, L; On Behalf Of The FiCoV Study, Group.. - In: JOURNAL OF FUNGI. - ISSN 2309-608X. - (2023). [10.3390/jof9020277]

Yeast Bloodstream Infections in the COVID-19 Patient: A Multicenter Italian Study (FiCoV Study)

Lo Cascio G;
2023-01-01

Abstract

Fungemia is a co-infection contributing to the worsening of the critically ill COVID-19 patient. The multicenter Italian observational study FiCoV aims to estimate the frequency of yeast bloodstream infections (BSIs), to describe the factors associated with yeast BSIs in COVID-19 patients hospitalized in 10 hospitals, and to analyze the antifungal susceptibility profiles of the yeasts isolated from blood cultures. The study included all hospitalized adult COVID-19 patients with a yeast BSI; anonymous data was collected from each patient and data about antifungal susceptibility was collected. Yeast BSI occurred in 1.06% of patients, from 0.14% to 3.39% among the 10 participating centers. Patients were mainly admitted to intensive or sub-intensive care units (68.6%), over 60 years of age (73%), with a mean and median time from the hospitalization to fungemia of 29 and 22 days, respectively. Regarding risk factors for fungemia, most patients received corticosteroid therapy during hospitalization (61.8%) and had a comorbidity (25.3% diabetes, 11.5% chronic respiratory disorder, 9.5% cancer, 6% haematological malignancies, 1.4% organ transplantation). Antifungal therapy was administered to 75.6% of patients, mostly echinocandins (64.5%). The fatality rate observed in COVID-19 patients with yeast BSI was significantly higher than that of COVID-19 patients without yeast BSI (45.5% versus 30.5%). Candida parapsilosis (49.8%) and C. albicans (35.2%) were the most fungal species isolated; 72% of C. parapsilosis strains were fluconazole-resistant (range 0-93.2% among the centers). The FiCoV study highlights a high prevalence of Candida BSIs in critically ill COVID-19 patients, especially hospitalized in an intensive care unit, a high fatality rate associated with the fungal co-infection, and the worrying spread of azole-resistant C. parapsilosis.
2023
Yeast Bloodstream Infections in the COVID-19 Patient: A Multicenter Italian Study (FiCoV Study) / Prigitano, A; Blasi, E; Calabrò, M; Cavanna, C; Cornetta, M; Farina, C; Grancini, A; Innocenti, P; Lo Cascio, G; Nicola, L; Trovato, L; Cogliati, M; Esposto, Mc; Tortorano, Am; Romanò, L; On Behalf Of The FiCoV Study, Group.. - In: JOURNAL OF FUNGI. - ISSN 2309-608X. - (2023). [10.3390/jof9020277]
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11381/2978597
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