Annals of Clinical Microbiology, The official Journal of the Korean Society of Clinical Microbiology
Original article

Distribution of Yeast and Mold Species Isolated from Clinical Specimens at 12 Hospitals in Korea during 2011

Eun Jeong Won1, Jong Hee Shin1, Won-Kil Lee2, Sun Hoe Koo3, Shine Young Kim4, Yeon-Joon Park5, Wee Gyo Lee6, Soo-Hyun Kim1, Young Uh7, Mi-Kyung Lee8, Mi-Na Kim9, Hye-Soo Lee10, Kyungwon Lee11

Department of Laboratory Medicine, 1Chonnam National University Medical School, Gwangju, 2Kyungpook National University of Medicine, Daegu, 3Chungnam National University of Medicine, Daejeon, 4Pusan National University Yangsan Hospital, Yangsan, 5The Catholic University of Korea College of Medicine, Seoul, 6Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon, 7Yonsei University Wonju College of Medicine, Wonju, 8Chung-Ang University College of Medicine, Seoul, 9Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, 10Chonbuk National University Medical School, Jeonju, 11Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea

Corresponding to Jong Hee Shin, E-mail: shinjh@chonnam.ac.kr

Ann Clin Microbiol 2013;16(2):92-100. https://doi.org/10.5145/ACM.2013.16.2.92
Copyright © Korean Society of Clinical Microbiology.

Abstract

Background: The incidence of fungal infections varies among hospitals and between different time periods. We performed a nationwide survey in Korea to investigate the distribution of yeast and mold species recovered from clinical specimens. 

Methods: The distributions of clinical isolates of yeast and mold species obtained from 12 university hospitals between January and December 2011 were evaluated relative to the hospital and specimen type. 

Results: A total of 39,533 fungal isolates (37,847 yeast and 1,686 mold isolates) were obtained. C. albicans was the predominant species (49.4%) among the yeast isolates from all clinical specimens, followed by C. glabrata (7.2%) and C. tropicalis (6.5%). For 5,248 yeast isolates from sterile body fluids, blood was the most common source of yeasts (71.1%), followed by peritoneal fluid (9.4%). Although C. albicans was the predominant species at all but two hospitals, the rate of non-albicans Candida species varied from 71.2% to 40.1%, depending on the hospital. The yeast species recovered most frequently from the sterile body fluids was C. albicans (41.7%), followed by C. parapsilosis (17.8%) and C. glabrata (14.4%), while that from non-sterile sites was C. albicans (50.7%), followed by C. glabrata (6.0%) and C. tropicalis (5.5%). For mold-forming fungi, Aspergillus species (62.3%) were most common, followed by Trichophyton species (15.4%). Respiratory specimens were the most common source of molds (39.6%), followed by abscesses/wounds (28.4%) and tissues (17.5%). 

Conclusion: The rank order of distribution for different fungal species varied among hospitals and specimen types. Continual national surveillance programs are essential for identifying possible changes in fungal infection patterns. (Ann Clin Microbiol 2013;16:92-100)

Keywords

Fungi, Molds, Species distribution, Yeasts