Objectives: Candida, which is an opportunistic pathogen, is becoming a cause of significant morbidity and mortality due to the infection it can cause, especially in patients at greater risk. The aim of the present study was to examine a total of 95 Candida isolates collected from blood cultures at a training and research hospital microbiology culture laboratory over approximately 4 years. Methods: This study included 95 Candida samples grown in blood cultures at the microbiology laboratory between 2014 and 2017. The samples were first seeded with 5% sheep blood agar and eosin methylene blue agar media. Next, those identified as yeast using conventional methods were isolated with Sabouraud Dextrose Agar. Subsequently, the strain was identified using a fully automated culture-antibiogram device. Results: Type distribution indicated that among the 95 Candida samples collected over 4 years, the most common strains were C. albicans (n=43; 45%) and C. parapsilosis (n=24; 25%), followed by C. tropicalis (n=14; 15%), C. glabrata (n=6; 6%), and C. kefyr (n=5; 5%). Conclusion: According to these results, although there was an increase in the number of other Candida species observed, C. albicans remains the most important pathogen.
Corresponding Author: Sadik Akgun