Epidemiological trends of candidemia and the impact of adherence to the candidemia guideline: Six-year single-center experience

This study aimed to investigate the epidemiology of candidemia and evaluate the impact of adherence to the candidemia guideline defined by the European Confederation of Medical Mycology Quality of Clinical Candidemia Management (EQUAL) Candida score. Adult candidemia patients ≥ 19 years diagnosed at a tertiary care hospital in the Republic of Korea from 2013 to 2018 were enrolled (period 1 2013–2015, period 2 2016–2018). There was a total of 223 patients. The annual incidence of candidemia increased from 0.43 to 1.33 cases per 1000 admissions between 2013 and 2018, p < 0.001. A significant increase of fluconazole-resistant C. parapsilosis candidemia was noted in period 2 (35.3%) when compared to period 1 (0.0%), p = 0.020. The 30-day mortality rate was not different between period 1 and 2 (43.5% vs. 48.1%, p = 0.527). Multivariate analysis revealed that a Charlson comorbidity index score ≥ 4, neutropenia, duration of hospital stay ≥ 21 days before candidemia diagnosis, septic shock, mycological failure, and EQUAL Candida score < 15 were significantly associated with 30-day mortality. An increase in the incidence of candidemia and fluconazole resistance in the non-albicans Candida species over time was observed. Disease severity, comorbidities, and lower adherence to the candidemia guideline were associated with mortality.