Özet:

The frequency of fungal infections, which are associated with high mortality and morbidity, is increasing. The most common agents in fungal infections are Candida species. The most important risk factor in Candida infections is colonization of the skin and mucous membranes with Candida species. Invasive interventions such as vascular and urinary catheterization increase the risk of colonization and infection. Immunosuppressive therapy, neutrophil and lymphocyte defects, phagocyte abnormalities, hospitalization in an intensive care unit, use of broad-spectrum antibiotics, mechanical ventilation, parenteral nutrition and abdominal surgery are also risk factors. The absence of distinguishing symptoms or signs from other infections causes candida infections to be overlooked and diagnosed late. For this reason, candida colonization index, Ostrosky clinical prediction rule and candida scoring systems, which are easy to apply for clinical diagnosis, have been developed. For definitive diagnosis, yeast or hyphae forms must be demonstrated in blood or tissue cultures. In these infections, which have a high risk of mortality, early intervention reduces the mortality rate. Treatment methods are divided into four groups as prophylactic, empirical, pre-emptive and targeted therapy. In patients with high risk for fungal infection, the preventive treatment method applied to prevent infection is prophylactic treatment. Empirical treatment is the treatment method applied in patients with unexplained fever and candida growth in non-sterile areas. For highly probable invasive candidiasis, preemptive treatment is applied in patients in shock, while targeted therapy is given in cases of candida invasion in sterile environments.

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