Table 1.
Comparison of epidemiological, clinical characteristics and outcome of patients with BSIs due to Candida parapsilosis and Candida albicans
| Variables | Patients with BSIs due to: | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| C. parapsilosis (n = 63) | C. albicans (n = 146) | P valuea | |
| Age (years), median (IQR)b | 67 (43–76) | 51 (66–77) | 0.133 |
| Neonates (<3 months) | 1 (2) | 5 (3) | 0.465 |
| Elderly (>65 years) | 32 (51) | 72 (49) | 0.844 |
| Male sex, n (%) | 35 (56) | 91 (63) | 0.358 |
| Ward | |||
| Internal Medicine, n (%) | 25 (40) | 52 (36) | 0.448 |
| Surgery, n (%) | 17 (27) | 32 (22) | |
| Intensive Care Unit, n (%) | 21 (33) | 62 (43) | |
| Comorbidities, n (%) | 57 (90) | 137 (94) | 0.387 |
| Chronic pulmonary diseases, n (%) c | 9 (14) | 11 (8) | 0.127 |
| Haematological malignancy, n (%) | 1 (2) | 8 (5) | 0.203 |
| Cardiovascular diseases, n (%) d | 27 (43) | 67 (46) | 0.685 |
| Neurological diseases, n (%) e | 10 (16) | 24 (16) | 0.919 |
| Gastrointestinal diseases, n (%) f | 21 (33) | 43 (29) | 0.576 |
| Diabetes mellitus, n (%) | 8 (13) | 28 (19) | 0.254 |
| Solid tumors, n (%) | 15 (24) | 43 (30) | 0.403 |
| Chronic renal failure, n (%) | 7 (11) | 12 (8) | 0.504 |
| Previous surgery (<30 days), n (%) | 32 (51) | 67 (46) | 0.514 |
| Gastrointestinal surgery, n (%) | 8 (13) | 19 (13) | 0.950 |
| Cardiovascular surgery, n (%) | 13 (21) | 28 (19) | 0.807 |
| Other surgery, n (%) g | 12 (19) | 24 (16) | 0.646 |
| Central venous catheter, n (%) | 56 (89) | 127 (87) | 0.702 |
| BSI CVC-related, n (%) | 36 (64) | 57 (45) | 0.015 |
| Other devices, n (%) h | 57 (90) | 129 (88) | 0.653 |
| Previous invasive procedures (<72 h), n (%) i | 16 (25) | 44 (30) | 0.486 |
| Parenteral nutrition, n (%) | 43 (68) | 105 (72) | 0.592 |
| Immunosuppressive therapy, n (%) j | 18 (29) | 56 (34) | 0.174 |
| Neutropenia, n (%) | 4 (6) | 7 (5) | 0.644 |
| Septic shock, n (%) | 2 (3) | 12 (8) | 0.180 |
| Prior antibiotic therapy, n (%) | 58 (92) | 139 (95) | 0.370 |
| Previous antifungal therapy (<30 days), n (%) | 5 (8) | 21 (14) | 0.195 |
| Concomitant bacteriemia, n (%) | 15 (24) | 40 (27) | 0.588 |
| Other coinfections, n (%) k | 39 (62) | 89 (61) | 0.897 |
| Appropriate antifungal therapy, n (%) l | 38 (60) | 92 (63) | 0.712 |
| Primary azole therapy | 41 (65) | 77 (53) | 0.098 |
| Primary echinocandin therapy | 7 (11) | 34 (23) | 0.041 |
| Primary polyene therapy | 1 (2) | 3 (2) | 0.820 |
| None | 14 (22) | 32 (22) | 0.961 |
| Overall mortality, n (%) | 17 (27) | 61 (42) | 0.042 |
| Early mortality (days 1–7), n (%) | 4 (6) | 24 (17) | 0.049 |
| Late mortality (days 8–30), n (%) | 13 (21) | 37 (25) | 0.464 |
aComparisons between groups were performed using Wilcoxon rank sum test for quantitative variables and Chi-Square test (or Fisher Exact Test when expected frequencies were less than five) for qualitative variables
bIQR, Interquartile range
cChronic pulmonary diseases include asthma, chronic bronchitis, emphysema and lung fibrosis
dCardiovascular diseases include heart failure, ischemic heart disease, endocarditis and arrhythmia
eNeurological diseases include Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease and paralysis
fGastrointestinal diseases include Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, chronic pancreatitis and gallbladder stones
g Other surgery includes plastic surgery, thoracic surgery, orthopaedic surgery, urological surgery and neurosurgery
h Other devices include urinary catheter, surgical drainage, cutaneous gastrostomy and tracheostomy tube
iPrevious invasive procedures include endoscopy and positioning of any device
jImmunosuppressive therapy include corticosteroids, calcineurin inhibitors and monoclonal antibodies
kOther coinfections include bacterial and/or fungal infections in sites other than blood
lAppropriate antifungal therapy was considered when the appropriate drug with adequate dosage was started ≤ 72 h from the first blood culture performed