Original article / research
Year : 2023 Month : October Volume : 12 Issue : 4 Page : MO09 - MO12 Full Version

Prevalence of Lower Respiratory Tract Fungal Infection at a Tertiary Care Hospital in Central Madhya Pradesh, India: A Cross-sectional Study
Bhavya Chiti, Riti Jain Seth, Kumkum Madoriya
1. Junior Resident, Department of Microbiology, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Medical College, Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, India. 2. Professor and Head, Department of Microbiology, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Medical College, Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, India. 3. Assistant Professor, Department of Microbiology, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Medical College, Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, India.
 
Correspondence Address :
Bhavya Chiti, Riti Jain Seth, Kumkum Madoriya,
Dr. Riti Jain Seth,
Professor and Head, Department of Microbiology Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Medical College, Jabalpur-482003, Madhya Pradesh, India.
E-mail: drsethriti@gmail.com
 
ABSTRACT
: Introduction: The incidence of fungal infections and resistant isolates has risen exponentially due to multiple factors. This makes the isolation of fungi, performing identification, and susceptibility testing a necessary routine microbiological procedure. Assessing the burden and analysing the epidemiologic trends of fungal infections is critical for patient management.

Aim: To determine the prevalence of various fungal infections affecting the lower respiratory tract.

Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study conducted at Department of Microbiology, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose (NSCB) Medical College Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, India specimens from 400 patients with suspected Lower Respiratory Tract Infection (LRTI) were processed following standard microbiological methods for fungal culture and sensitivity testing. All the fungal isolates were obtained and their antifungal susceptibility pattern were recorded. The data entry was done in a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet, and the final analysis was performed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software, version 25.0, developed by IBM in Chicago, USA.

Results: The majority of the assessed specimens were sputum (285, 71.2%). Out of the 115 Candida isolates, C.albicans (61, 53%) was the most common species isolated. Among the Non-Candida albicans Candida (NCAC) group, C. tropicalis (32, 27.8%) was the predominant isolate, followed by C. glabrata (16, 13.9%) and C. krusei (6, 5.2%). C. albicans was found to be the most prevalent in the elderly population (>60 years of age), whereas NCAC was prevalent in the 46-60 years age group. Regarding the antifungal drug susceptibility pattern, significantly higher drug resistance was seen in the NCAC group compared to C. albicans towards agents such as ketoconazole, fluconazole, itraconazole, voriconazole, amphotericin-B, and nystatin. None of the fungal isolates demonstrated resistance to caspofungin.

Conclusion: Fungal aetiology is a significant problem in patients with LRTI, which often remains underdiagnosed, increasing morbidity and mortality. Therefore, it should be kept in mind while managing a patient with LRTI.
Keywords : Antifungal drug resistance, Antifungal susceptibility test, Fungemia, Candida species
DOI and Others : DOI: 10.7860/NJLM/2023/64013.2784 Date of Submission: Mar 14, 2023 Date of Peer Review: Apr 19, 2023 Date of Acceptance: Sep 05, 2023 Date of Publishing: Oct 01, 2023 AUTHOR DECLARATION: • Financial or Other Competing Interests: None • Was Ethics Committee Approval obtained for this study? Yes • Was informed consent obtained from the subjects involved in the study? No • For any images presented appropriate consent has been obtained from the subjects. NA PLAGIARISM CHECKING METHOD
 
TABLES AND FIGURES