Prevalence of Fungal Infections from Hospitalized Patients in Golestan Hospital of Ahvaz, in 2019

Introduction and Objectives: Nosocomial infections are one of the challenges in the medical world today, and opportunistic infections, especially the fungal opportunistic infections, are of particular importance in hospitalized people with regard to nosocomial infections. Therefore, given the importance of controlling and preventing nosocomial fungal infections, this six-month study aimed to investigate the prevalence of fungal infections in hospitalized patients in different departments of Golestan Hospital in Ahwaz. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, from February to July 2019, the clinical samples of 170 hospitalized patients in different departments of Golestan Hospital including ICU, Urology, Nephrology, Neurology, Pediatrics and NICU were collected and tested with fungal examinations Clinical specimens including urine, trachea, wound, abdominal drainage and etc. were used to fungal infection diagnosis. Results: Among the 170 patients admitted to these departments, 110 person (65%) were male and 60 pesrson (35%) were female. Using direct tests by 10 or 20% KOH, gram staining, germ tube test and culture of all clinical specimens, the agents causing fungal yeast Candida species were identified out of which 5 cases were Candida albicans and 165 cases were non Candida albicans. The highest incidence of fungal infections was observed among the clinical samples and among the ICU admissions. Conclusion: The incidence of nosocomial fungal infections is different among inpatient departments. Due to the possibility of fungal colonization and their associated septicemia, the prognosis of these infections, patient care and treatment are an important step in preventing the possible risks of these infections.