Preventing Fungal Sepsis in Preterm Infants: The Impact of Changing to Prophylactic Nystatin in a Tertiary Neonatal Unit. Issue 2 (June 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Peterson, Jennifer; Ranganna, Ranganath
• Is Part Of: Journal of neonatology. Volume 35:Issue 2(2021)
• Page Start: 82
• Page End: 85
• Publication Date: 2021-06
• Subjects: Fungal sepsis -- sepsis -- invasive Candida infection -- prematurity -- neonate; Neonatology -- Periodicals; Neonatology -- India -- Periodicals; 618.9201
• DOI: 10.1177/09732179211007622
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0973-2179

Abstract

Fungal organisms pose a life-threatening risk to vulnerable premature infants. In this review, all cases of fungal sepsis in a large tertiary neonatal unit over the last 10 years (2008-2018) in premature neonates (<30 weeks gestation) were reviewed. This time frame spanned a change in prophylaxis policy from fluconazole to nystatin in 2012. The most common fungal organism causing sepsis was Candida albicans in 80% of cases and Candida parapsilosis in 13%. All fungal organisms cultured were fully sensitive; no resistant cases were seen in the last 10 years. Encouragingly, rates of infection were static (between 0 and 3 cases/year) over the last 10 years, despite the unit's policy for antifungal prophylaxis changing from fluconazole to nystatin in 2012.