Fatemeh Safari - Department of Microbiology, Falavarjan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran
Mahboobeh Madani - Department of Microbiology, Falavarjan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran
Hossein Mirhendi - Department of Parasitology and Mycology, School of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran- Research Core Facilities Laboratory, Mycology Reference Laboratory, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
Majid Kheirollahi - Department of Genetics and Molecular Biology, School of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran

The multidrug-resistant fungal pathogen Candida auris has been associated with healthcare.We need to address COVID-۱۹ pandemic as well as the ongoing global fungal epidemic caused by C. auris, a multi-drug-resistant fungus spreading rapidly throughout the world. This study was conducted on patients admitted to an ICU in Isfahan, Iran, from November ۲۰۲۰ to February ۲۰۲۱ to determine the spectrum of C. auris colonization in immunocompromised patients hospitalized in an intensive care unit (ICU). Therefore, clinical swabs were collected from ۳۲ immunocompromised patients for C. auris detection upon ICU admission after ۷ to ۱۴ days. A rich culturemediumwas used to evaluate C. auris growth at a higher temperature (۴۰°C) and salinity (۱۰% wt/vol) in Sabouraud dextrose agar, which can be used in combination with a C. auris-specific polymerase chain reaction method. C. auris was not isolated in the clinical samples of patients. The most common colonizer was Candida albicans, followed by C. glabrata, C. parapsilosis, and C. tropicalis. Candida glabrata was the only species with noticeable growth in the Salt SDA, with D-Mannitol as a carbon source. Currently, C. auris is not a common cause of systemic or superficial fungal infections in Iran. The screening of patients admitted to the ICU for C. auris could aid in the identification of colonized patients and could simplify the application of infection control measures.

Candida auris, Colonization, Culture, C. auris-specific PCR