Species distribution and susceptibility of Candida isolates from patient with vulvovaginal candidiasis in Southern China from 2003 to 2012.

OBJECTIVE

To determine the Candida species involved and the antifungal susceptibility of Candida species isolated from patients with vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC).

MATERIALS AND

METHODS

Candida organisms were cultured from samples obtained from patients with VVC at Gynecology Department of Peking University Shenzhen Hospital from April 2003 to September 2012. Antifungal susceptibility testing was performed using a commercial agar diffusion test.

RESULTS

A total of 3181 yeasts isolates, mostly Candida, were obtained from 3141 patients with VVC. Two species of Candida were isolated from each of 40 patients (1.3%, 40/3141). C. albicans were the predominant Candida species (2705 strains, 85.0%) in VVC, followed by C. glabrata (337 strains, 10.6%), C. parapsilosis (49 strains, 1.5%), C. tropicalis (31 strains, 1.0%), Saccharomyces cerevisiae (23 strains, 0.7%), C. krusei (15 strains, 0.5%), Candida famata (11 strains, 0.4%), Rhodotorula sp. (6 strains, 0.2%), and C. lusitaniae (2 strains, 0.1%). Antifungal susceptibility was tested in a total of 1942 strains from patients with VVC. All of the C. albicans isolates obtained were susceptible to nystatin. The resistant rate of C. albicans to fluconazole, itraconazole, miconazole, clotrimazole was 1.1% (18/1612), 2.2% (36/1612), 4.2% (68/1612), and 0.9% (14/1612). The resistant rate of non-albicans to fluconazole, itraconazole, miconazole, and clotrimazole was 11.8% (39/329), 2.5% (8/329), 1.8% (6/329), and 4.3% (14/329).

CONCLUSIONS

C. albicans was the predominant Candida species isolated from this series of patients with VVC. Resistance of vaginal C. albicans isolates to antifungal agents was infrequent.