Revised definitions of invasive fungal disease from the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer/Invasive Fungal Infections Cooperative Group and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Mycoses Study Group (EORTC/MSG) Consensus Group

[Clinical use of micafungin for the treatment of invasive candidiasis in critical ill patients]

BACKGROUND

Over the last 30 years a significant increase of Candida spp. invasive disease has been observed in non-neutropenic critical ill patients. Both fluconazole and amphotericin B have been considered first line treatment for invasive (proven and probable) Candida spp. disease, although the mortality rate is still high.

OBJECTIVES

To review the current data on the use of micafungin for the treatment of Candida invasive disease in critical ill patients.

METHODS

The pharmacologic, mycological and clinical properties of micafungin are reviewed based on current published data. The use and efficacy of micafungin for the treatment of Candida invasive disease in critical ill patients is discussed.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS

To reduce the rate of mortality more effective antifungals and pre-emptive treatment strategies are currently warranted. Candins achieve better results for the treatment of invasive Candida disease in non-neutropenic critical ill patients. Micafungin has a good safety profile (similar to fluconazole). Micafungin is a first line drug for the treatment of invasive Candida disease and may be used as a pre- emptive approach followed by a de-escalating strategy with azoles.

Indicators for steroid response in biopsy proven acute graft rejection after lung transplantation

OBJECTIVE

Acute rejection (AR) after lung transplantation (LTx) requires prompt intervention. Most episodes respond to steroid pulse therapy. The aim of this study was to evaluate clinical indicators for non-response to steroid treatment in biopsy proven AR after the early postoperative period.

METHODS

We prospectively analysed 85 patients more than 6 months after LTx with symptomatic biopsy proven AR (>or=grade A1) from Jan. 2005 until Nov. 2007 in a single centre. In 47 patients, AR was steroid-sensitive (group 1), 38 patients did not respond to steroid pulse therapy (group 2). All AR episodes were associated with clinical symptoms. Fifty-seven (67%) were low-grade rejections (ISHLT A1).

RESULTS

Independent clinical predictors for steroid response vs. non-steroid response in biopsy proven AR were "days after transplantation" (p=0.01, adjusted hazard ratio (HR) 1.2), "decline in home spirometry slope" (p=0.03, HR 0.97), "adherence to home spirometry" (p=0.05, HR 0.98) and "serum CRP" (p=0.02, HR 0.87). Eight patients (21%) of group 2 developed BOS during the following 6 months.

CONCLUSIONS

Early detection of deterioration in graft function seems to be crucial for effective treatment of AR. Home spirometry seems to be useful in detecting early changes in graft function and surveillance protocols could be potentially helpful in predicting patients likely to demonstrate a steroid response.

Monitoring trough concentration of voriconazole is important to ensure successful antifungal therapy and to avoid hepatic damage in patients with hematological disorders

We investigated the role of therapeutic dose monitoring (TDM) in the treatment of fungal infections with voriconazole through 49 analyses of 34 patients who received treatment for hematologic diseases. Voriconazole concentration was highly variable among patients regardless of renal, liver functions, or age, and the effect of dose enhancement was not constant. This indicates the difficulty of predicting voriconazole concentration without TDM. We evaluated the outcome with the composite assessment system where patients were assumed non-responders when they failed to show improvement in at least 2 of the following 3 criteria: clinical, radiologic, and mycologic. We showed that concentration-response relationship depended on the status of underlying hematologic diseases; this relationship was observed only in cases without refractory hematologic diseases, but not in those with refractory diseases. In the former group, cases with >2 mg/L of concentration were associated with good response to voriconazole. On the other hand, elevation of hepatic enzyme was frequently observed when voriconazole concentration was >6 mg/L. From these results, we concluded that TDM should be executed and targeted to 2-6 mg/L to improve efficacy and to avoid side effects.

The role of bronchoalveolar lavage galactomannan in the diagnosis of pediatric invasive aspergillosis

BACKGROUND

: Molecular biomarkers such as the galactomannan assay are of increasing interest in clinical settings for diagnosis of invasive aspergillosis (IA). The use of bronchoalveolar lavage galactomannan (BAL GM) is being validated in adult populations, but has not been systematically evaluated in pediatric patients.

METHODS

: A retrospective analysis was performed of patients for whom GM assays from BAL were submitted between November 1, 2006 and November14, 2007 at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles. Medical charts were reviewed and patients were categorized as having no, possible, probable, and proven IA, per established definitions.

RESULTS

: Of 85 pediatric patients who had a BAL GM submitted during the study, 59 were immunocompromised. Three patients were identified as having proven IA, 6 had probable IA, 37 had possible IA, and 39 had no evidence of IA; 38 had a concurrent serum GM performed. A positive, linear correlation was established between BAL and serum GM, using OD index values (rho = 0.48, P = 0.002). Among immunocompromised patients, receiver operating characteristic curves demonstrated an optimal BAL GM OD cut-off value of 0.87, that yielded a sensitivity for probable/proven IA of 78% and a specificity of 100%. At 0.87, the positive and negative predictive values among immunocompromised patients were 58% and 96%, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

: We found a correlation between BAL GM values and a diagnosis of IA. We also noted a linear relationship between serum and BAL GM values. Receiver operating characteristic curves obtained from our pediatric data validate the current cut off for serum and suggest a possible cut off for BAL specimens.

Phenotypic and genotypic characterization of Aspergillus lentulus and Aspergillus fumigatus isolates in a patient with probable invasive aspergillosis

Characteristic morphological and phylogenetic analyses demonstrated the presence of Aspergillus fumigatus and Aspergillus lentulus as the aetiological agents in a case of probable invasive aspergillosis (IA). This is believed to be the first report of an A. lentulus strain isolated from a patient with probable IA in Argentina.

Invasive aspergillosis: diagnosis, prophylaxis and treatment

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Invasive aspergillosis is a common cause of morbidity and mortality in hematopoietic stem cells transplant recipients. Owing to its intrinsic high mortality rate, early diagnosis and treatment are critical. This review will therefore address the most important recent advances in diagnosing, preventing and treating invasive aspergillosis in hematopoietic stem cells transplant.

RECENT FINDINGS

The present review will focus on therapeutic and prophylactic aspects, with particular regard to clinical use of drugs other than voriconazole (which has a well known and consolidated role for first-line therapy), combination therapy and prophylactic regimens, particularly with posaconazole. This review will also briefly deal with the clinical role of diagnostic tests such as the detection of galactomannan in body fluids other than blood, beta-D-glucan in serum and fungal DNA by PCR in body fluids.

SUMMARY

Galactomannan antigen detection is a rather reliable diagnostic test for invasive aspergillosis, particularly when a lower threshold of sensitivity is used. PCR is still to be validated. Liposomal amphotericin B at 3 mg/kg per day showed a similar efficacy in invasive aspergillosis as reported for voriconazole. Therapeutic drug monitoring of Aspergillus-active azoles should be implemented whenever possible in order to maximize the antifungal effect and minimize toxicity. Posaconazole showed to be active in prophylaxis, though its effectiveness in the global patient population is still controversial.

Impact of PCR-based diagnosis of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis on clinical outcome

The mortality rate of 60-90% in invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA) is partly explained by diagnostic delay due to the limitation of current diagnostic tests. We assessed the influence of Aspergillus species (ASP) DNA detection by PCR from bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid, a new tool for diagnosing IPA, on the outcome of this disease in immune-compromised patients. The study population comprised 107 consecutive patients with hematological malignancies from a single medical center with IPA diagnosed between 1998 and 2005. Clinical variables and mortality rates were compared between two groups diagnosed according to traditional criteria without and with PCR-based ASP DNA detection in BAL fluid. The overall mortality rate during the study period was 38.3%. The addition of PCR to the diagnostic criteria shifted 31 patients from possible to probable IPA. Patients diagnosed with probable IPA according to traditional microbiological methods had significantly higher mortality rates compared to their counterparts who had in addition a PCR-based diagnosis (80 vs 35.6%, P=0.003). This study demonstrates that PCR-based ASP DNA detection for a diagnosis of IPA from BAL fluid has a significant effect on the outcome of patients with IPA, probably related to earlier diagnosis.

Use of PCR for diagnosis of invasive aspergillosis: systematic review and meta-analysis

A systematic review and meta-analysis was done on the use of PCR tests for the diagnosis of invasive aspergillosis. Data from more than 10000 blood, serum, or plasma samples obtained from 1618 patients at risk for invasive aspergillosis were retrieved from 16 studies. Overall, the mean diagnostic odds ratios (DORs) of PCR for proven and probable cases were similar whether two consecutive positive samples were required to define positivity (DOR 15.97 [95% CI 6.83-37.34]) or a single positive PCR test was required (DOR 16.41 [95% CI 6.43-41.88]). Sensitivity and specificity of PCR for two consecutive positive samples were 0.75 (95% CI 0.54-0.88) and 0.87 (95% CI 0.78-0.93), respectively, and if only a single positive sample was required, these values were 0.88 (95% CI 0.75-0.94) and 0.75 (95% CI 0.63-0.84), respectively. Whereas specificity based on a single positive test was significantly lower (p=0.027) than two positive tests, the sensitivity and DOR did not differ significantly. A single PCR-negative result is thus sufficient to exclude a diagnosis of proven or probable invasive aspergillosis. However, two positive tests are required to confirm the diagnosis because the specificity is higher than that attained from a single positive test. Populations at risk varied and there was a lack of homogeneity of the PCR methods used. Efforts are underway to devise a standard for Aspergillus sp PCR for screening, which will help enable formal validation of PCR and estimate its use in patients most likely to benefit.

Infectious complications after allogeneic stem cell transplantation: incidence in matched-related and matched-unrelated transplant settings

BACKGROUND

Bacterial, viral, and fungal pathogens frequently cause severe, life-threatening infections in immunocompromised patients after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (SCT).

OBJECTIVE

To compare the frequency of infections in patients with matched-related (Group A) or with human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-matched-unrelated donors (Group B).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Patients treated at our transplantation unit between April 2004 and April 2005 were enrolled into this analysis. Documentation comprised demographic data, conditioning treatment, stem cell source, clinical course, as well as microbiological and clinical data and mortality.

RESULTS

We analyzed 59 patients, 22 in Group A and 37 in Group B. Both groups were well balanced regarding demographic data. Diagnoses were acute myeloid leukemia (30 of 59 patients, 50.8%), multiple myeloma (15.2%), acute lymphoblastic leukemia (11.9%), and chronic myeloid leukemia (10.2%). Patients in Group A developed infections in 95.5% of the cases compared with 97.3% in patients in Group B. Most frequently detected pathogens were Staphylococcus species, human herpesvirus-6, and Epstein-Barr virus. Three proven fungal infections were detected in Group A compared with 9 proven fungal infections in Group B. Lung infiltrations were observed in equivalent incidence in both groups. Two years after transplantation, 55.9% of patients were alive (Group A: 68.2%; Group B: 48.6%, not significant).

CONCLUSION

Allogeneic SCT from HLA-matched-unrelated donors does not have a higher infection risk than patients transplanted from matched-related donors.

Invasive pulmonary aspergillosis 10 years post bone marrow transplantation: a case report

INTRODUCTION

Invasive pulmonary aspergillosis is a leading cause of mortality and morbidity in bone marrow transplant recipients. Establishing the diagnosis remains a challenge for clinicians working in acute care setting. However, prompt diagnosis and treatment can lead to favourable outcomes

CASE PRESENTATION

We report a case of invasive aspergillosis occurring in a 39-year-old Caucasian female 10 years after an allogeneic haematopoietic bone marrow transplant, and 5 years after stopping all immunosuppression. Possible risk factors include bronchiolitis obliterans and exposure to building dust (for example, handling her husband's dusty overalls). There are no similar case reports in the literature at this time.

CONCLUSION

High clinical suspicion, especially in the setting of failure to respond to broad-spectrum antibiotics, should alert clinicians to the possibility of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis, which, in this case, responded to antifungal therapy.

Detection of (1-->3)-beta-D-glucan as an adjunct to diagnosis in a mixed population with uncommon proven invasive fungal diseases or with an unusual clinical presentation

This single-center observational prospective study evaluated the performance of (1-->3)-beta-D-glucan as an adjunct diagnostic tool in 12 patients with proven invasive fungal disease with different risk factors. The infections were due to either uncommon fungal pathogens such as dematiaceous molds (Scedosporium apiospermum, Alternaria infectoria, and Cladosporium macrocarpum) and hyaline septate molds (Fusarium solani and Blastoschizomyces capitatus) or Aspergillus spp. with unusual clinical presentations.

Pharmacokinetics and safety of caspofungin in older infants and toddlers

Although information about the efficacy and safety experience with caspofungin at 50 mg/m(2) daily is available for children and adolescents, the dosing regimen in infants and toddlers 3 to 24 months of age has yet to be established. We studied the pharmacokinetics and safety of caspofungin at 50 mg/m(2) once daily in nine patients 10 to 22 months (median, 13 months) of age with fever and neutropenia who received caspofungin once daily for 2 to 21 (mean, 9.3) days. Plasma caspofungin concentrations were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography assay on days 1 and 4. On day 4, the area under the curve from 0 to 24 h (AUC(0-24)) was 130.3 microg-h/ml, the peak concentration (C(1)) was 17.2 microg/ml, and the trough concentration (C(24)) was 1.6 microg/ml. The day 4 geometric mean ratios (GMRs) and 90% confidence interval (CI) for these parameters in infants/toddlers relative to adults were 1.26 (1.06, 1.50), 1.83 (1.57, 2.14), and 0.81 (0.64, 1.04), respectively. Relative to children (2 to 11 years of age), the day 4 GMRs (and 90% CI) were 1.13 (0.89, 1.44), 1.10 (0.85, 1.42), and 1.12 (0.72, 1.76), respectively. The harmonic mean elimination phase t(1/2) in infants/toddlers (8.8 h) was reduced approximately 33% relative to adults (13.0 h) but was similar to that in children (8.2 h). Clinical adverse events occurred in seven patients (78%); none were considered drug related. Laboratory adverse events occurred in five patients (56%) and were considered drug related in three (33%). There were no infusion-related events or discontinuations due to toxicity. Caspofungin at 50 mg/m(2) daily was well tolerated in infants and toddlers; the AUC and caspofungin C(24) were generally comparable to those in adults receiving caspofungin at 50 mg daily.

Value of serial quantification of fungal DNA by a real-time PCR-based technique for early diagnosis of invasive Aspergillosis in patients with febrile neutropenia

A study was designed to assess the reliability of the serial detection of Aspergillus sp. DNA to diagnose invasive aspergillosis (IA) in patients with febrile neutropenia. Two blood and two serum samples were taken weekly from 83 patients. A total of 2,244 samples were analyzed by real-time quantitative PCR. Twelve (14.4%) patients were diagnosed with IA. Taking two consecutive positive results as the diagnostic criterion, PCR detected 11 cases, with 4 false positives, giving sensitivity, specificity, positive, and negative predictive values of 91.6%, 94.4%, 73.3%, and 98.5%, respectively. On analyzing in conjunction with high-resolution chest tomography (HRCT) and galactomannan (GM) testing, the combination of serial PCR and GM detected 100% of aspergillosis cases, with a positive predictive value of 75.1%. This diagnostic strategy presented, according to CART analysis, a receiver-operator curve with an area under the curve of 0.97 (95% confidence interval, 0.895 to 1.032; P < 0.01), with a relative risk of IA 6.92 times higher than the control population and with predictive success of 95.2%. As regards early diagnosis, the serial detection of Aspergillus DNA took on average 21 days less than HRCT and 68 days less than GM. The serial detection of Aspergillus DNA using real-time quantitative PCR has great diagnostic applicability, which increases when combined with GM quantification.

Outcome and medical costs of patients with invasive aspergillosis and acute myelogenous leukemia-myelodysplastic syndrome treated with intensive chemotherapy: an observational study

BACKGROUND

Invasive aspergillosis (IA) is a leading cause of mortality in patients with acute leukemia. Management of IA is expensive, which makes prevention desirable. Because hospital resources are limited, prevention costs have to be compared with treatment costs and outcome.

METHODS

In 269 patients treated for acute myelogenous leukemia-myelodysplastic syndrome (AML-MDS) during 2002-2007, evidence of IA was collected using high-resolution computed tomography and galactomannan measurement in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid specimens. IA was classified on the basis of updated European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer/Mycoses Study Group definitions. Outcome of infection was registered. Diagnostic and therapeutic IA-related costs, corrected for neutropenia duration, were comprehensively analyzed from a hospital perspective. Voriconazole treatment was given orally from day 1 if possible.

RESULTS

A total of 80 patients developed IA; 48 (18%) had probable or proven infection, and 32 (12%) had possible IA. Seventy-three patients were treated with voriconazole; 55 (75%) took oral voriconazole from day 1. In patients with IA, the mortality rate 12 weeks after starting antifungal therapy was 22% (16 of 73 patients). The overall mortality rate, registered 12 weeks after neutrophil recovery from the last dose of antileukemic treatment, was 26% in patients with IA versus 16% in patients without IA (P = .08), reflecting an IA-attributable mortality rate of 10%. In a Cox regression analysis, IA was associated with an increased mortality risk (hazard ratio, 2.4; 95% confidence interval, 1.3-4.4). Total IA-related costs increased to euro 8360 and euro 15,280 for patients with possible and probable or proven IA, respectively, compared with patients without IA (P<.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Early diagnosis and treatment of IA with oral voriconazole result in acceptable mortality rates. Nevertheless, IA continues to have substantial attributable mortality combined with a major impact on hospital resource use, so effective prevention in high-incidence populations has the potential to save lives and costs.

A prospective randomized controlled trial comparing PCR-based and empirical treatment with liposomal amphotericin B in patients after allo-SCT

We compared the efficacy and safety of empirical plus PCR-based vs empirical liposomal amphotericin B treatment after Allo-SCT. Allo-SCT recipients were randomized to receive either PCR-based preemptive therapy (group A; n=198) or empirical antifungal therapy (group B; n=211) with liposomal amphotericin B. In group A, therapy was started after one positive PCR result or after 120 h of febrile neutropenia refractory to broad-spectrum antibacterial therapy. In group B, liposomal amphotericin B was started after 120 h of refractory febrile neutropenia. Demographic and clinical characteristics were well balanced. A total of 112 (57.1%) patients in group A and 76 (36.7%) patients in group B received antifungal therapy (P<0.0001). Twelve patients in group A and 16 patients in group B developed proven invasive fungal infection (IFI). Survival curves showed better survival until day 30 when close PCR monitoring was performed (mortality 1.5 vs 6.3%; P=0.015), but there was no difference at day 100. At day 100, no difference was observed in the incidence of IFI (primary end point) and survival between the two arms. Further studies are required to assess the benefit of using PCR in patients after SCT.

Newer antifungal agents for invasive fungal infections in patients with haematological malignancy

Since 2001 five new systemically administered antifungal agents have been approved for clinical use. This represents a major advance for antifungal therapy in haematological malignancy patients undergoing chemotherapy or haematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT). The echinocandins are a new class of antifungals with a novel mode of action. Capsofungin has already established itself as a valuable therapy for candidaemia and salvage therapy of invasive aspergillosis. Although both anidulafungin and micafungin are approved for treatment of candidiasis, their role in invasive aspergillosis requires more clinical trial evaluation. Of the two newer triazoles, voriconazole has been recommended in international guidelines as primary therapy for acute invasive aspergillosis. Posaconazole has a broad spectrum of activity in vitro and a potentially key role in antifungal prophylaxis in high-risk HSCT recipients and during prolonged neutropenia. Although some of these drugs have important interactions with other medications, and potential toxicities, they are safer to use and more efficacious than amphotericin B deoxycholate. Their arrival gives more choices to treat rarer mycoses and will facilitate clinical trial assessment of combination therapy of aspergillosis where single agent therapy gives less than 50% success rates.

Evaluation of the disk diffusion method compared to the microdilution method in susceptibility testing of anidulafungin against filamentous fungi

Susceptibility testing of anidulafungin (AFG) against 32 mold isolates showed an excellent correlation between disk diffusion (DD) and broth microdilution methods. Based on our data, a 2-microg disk of AFG and a 24-h reading time might represent the best parameters for AFG DD testing against filamentous fungi.

Detection of a molecular biomarker for zygomycetes by quantitative PCR assays of plasma, bronchoalveolar lavage, and lung tissue in a rabbit model of experimental pulmonary zygomycosis

We developed two real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) assays, targeting the 28S rRNA gene, for the diagnosis of zygomycosis caused by the most common, clinically significant Zygomycetes. The amplicons of the first qPCR assay (qPCR-1) from Rhizopus, Mucor, and Rhizomucor species were distinguished through melt curve analysis. The second qPCR assay (qPCR-2) detected Cunninghamella species using a different primer/probe set. For both assays, the analytic sensitivity for the detection of hyphal elements from germinating sporangiospores in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid and lung tissue homogenates from rabbits was 1 to 10 sporangiospores/ml. Four unique and clinically applicable models of invasive pulmonary zygomycosis served as surrogates of human infections, facilitating the validation of these assays for potential diagnostic utility. For qPCR-1, 5 of 98 infarcted lung specimens were positive by qPCR and negative by quantitative culture (qCx). None were qCx positive only. Among 23 BAL fluid samples, all were positive by qPCR, while 22 were positive by qCx. qPCR-1 detected Rhizopus and Mucor DNA in 20 (39%) of 51 serial plasma samples as early as day 1 postinoculation. Similar properties were observed for qPCR-2, which showed greater sensitivity than qCx for BAL fluid (100% versus 67%; P = 0.04; n = 15). The assay detected Cunninghamella DNA in 18 (58%) of 31 serial plasma samples as early as day 1 postinoculation. These qPCR assays are sensitive and specific for the detection of Rhizopus, Mucor, Rhizomucor, and Cunninghamella species and can be used for the study and detection of infections caused by these life-threatening pathogens.

Performance characteristics of the platelia Aspergillus enzyme immunoassay for detection of Aspergillus galactomannan antigen in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid

We have evaluated the Platelia Aspergillus enzyme immunoassay for detection of galactomannan in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) specimens in solid organ transplant patients with aspergillosis. The precision and reproducibility in serum or BAL to which galactomannan was added were similar. Sensitivity was 81.8% in patients with aspergillosis, and specificity was 95.8% in lung transplant patients who underwent BAL for surveillance for infection or rejection. Among transplant controls, positive results were more common in patients (i) who underwent diagnostic BAL performed for evaluation of symptoms or chest computed tomographic abnormalities, (ii) who had undergone lung transplantation, or (iii) who were colonized with Aspergillus. Galactomannan testing in BAL is useful for diagnosis of aspergillosis in transplant patients. The significance of positive results in patients without confirmed aspergillosis requires further evaluation.

Defining responses to therapy and study outcomes in clinical trials of invasive fungal diseases: Mycoses Study Group and European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer consensus criteria

Invasive fungal diseases (IFDs) have become major causes of morbidity and mortality among highly immunocompromised patients. Authoritative consensus criteria to diagnose IFD have been useful in establishing eligibility criteria for antifungal trials. There is an important need for generation of consensus definitions of outcomes of IFD that will form a standard for evaluating treatment success and failure in clinical trials. Therefore, an expert international panel consisting of the Mycoses Study Group and the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer was convened to propose guidelines for assessing treatment responses in clinical trials of IFDs and for defining study outcomes. Major fungal diseases that are discussed include invasive disease due to Candida species, Aspergillus species and other molds, Cryptococcus neoformans, Histoplasma capsulatum, and Coccidioides immitis. We also discuss potential pitfalls in assessing outcome, such as conflicting clinical, radiological, and/or mycological data and gaps in knowledge.

Fungal colonization and/or infection in non-neutropenic critically ill patients: results of the EPCAN observational study

The purpose of this paper is to determine the incidence of fungal colonization and infection in non-neutropenic critically ill patients and to identify factors favoring infection by Candida spp. A total of 1,655 consecutive patients (>18 years of age) admitted for > or = 7 days to 73 medical-surgical Spanish intensive care units (ICUs) participated in an observational prospective cohort study. Surveillance samples were obtained once a week. One or more fungi were isolated in different samples in 59.2% of patients, 94.2% of which were Candida spp. There were 864 (52.2%) patients with Candida spp. colonization and 92 (5.5%) with proven Candida infection. In the logistic regression analysis risk factors independently associated with Candida spp. infection were sepsis (odds ratio [OR] = 8.29, 95% confidence interval [CI] 5.07-13.6), multifocal colonization (OR = 3.49, 95% CI 1.74-7.00), surgery (OR = 2.04, 95% CI 1.27-3.30), and the use of total parenteral nutrition (OR = 4.37, 95% CI 2.16-8.33). Patients with Candida spp. infection showed significantly higher in-hospital and intra-ICU mortality rates than those colonized or non-colonized non-infected (P < 0.001). Fungal colonization, mainly due to Candida spp., was documented in nearly 60% of non-neutropenic critically ill patients admitted to the ICU for more than 7 days. Proven candidal infection was diagnosed in 5.5% of cases. Risk factors independently associated with Candida spp. infection were sepsis, multifocal colonization, surgery, and the use of total parenteral nutrition.