Abstract

CERMENO, Julman Rosiris; TREMARIA, Vanessa Carolina  and  CONTRERAS, Luis Gustavo. In vitro susceptibility to fluconazole and voriconazole of Candida species isolated from the hands of health care workers and patients. Rev. Soc. Ven. Microbiol. [online]. 2015, vol.35, n.2, pp.111-116. ISSN 1315-2556.

The hands of health care workers are considered important for colonization and infection by Candida spp. The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence and distribution of yeasts isolated from the hands of health personnel and some patients and their in vitro susceptibility to fluconazole and voriconazole. The study was conducted in three services of the Hospital Universitario “Ruiz y Páez”: Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and Healthy and Pathologic Newborn Units. The susceptibility tests were performed by the disk diffusion method (document M44-A2). A total of 79 isolates were obtained, of which 50.6% were Candida albicans and 49.4% non-albicans species. Among the non-albicans species were C. tropicalis (n = 25; 31.6%) followed by C. parapsilosis complex (n = 13; 16.5%). 87.3% and 91.1% of isolates were sensitive to fluconazole and voriconazole, respectively. 11.4% and 6.3% were resistant to fluconazole and voriconazole. The results of this study demonstrate the importance of the carriage of yeasts in the hands of health personnel; therefore it is essential to educate them about proper hand washing, use of gloves and antiseptic products to prevent or minimize the transmission of these agents.

Keywords : Candida albicans; Candida non-albicans; hand colonization; hand-washing; exogenous transmission.

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