Clinical characteristics of ICU patients with gastrointestinal colonisation by Candida auris
4 affiliations
- 1Department of Intensive Care Medicine, Guangdong Provincial Second Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
- 2Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Research and Development in Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
- 3Administration Department of Nosocomial Infection, Guangdong Provincial Second Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
- 4Clinical Laboratory, Guangdong Provincial Second Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
Abstract
ObjectiveThis study aimed to analyse the detection of Candida auris in faecal cultures of intensive care unit (ICU) patients and its impact on clinical outcomes, whilst constructing a predictive model for the risk of intestinal carriage of this fungus to inform clinical screening and infection control strategies.MethodsA retrospective study design was employed, enrolling 970 eligible patients admitted to the ICU of Guangdong Provincial Second Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine between January 2024 and December 2025. Participants were categorised into a C.auris-positive group (n=13) and a negative group (n=957) based on stool culture results. Data were collected on patients’ underlying medical conditions, antibiotic use and invasive procedures prior to stool culture, treatment-related data and clinical outcome measures. Univariate analysis compared clinical characteristics between groups. Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO)regression screened potential predictors, establishing a multivariate logistic regression model visualised as a nomogram. Model performance was assessed via area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), calibration curves, and decision curves.ResultsAmong 970 patients, the detection rate of C.auris in stool cultures was 1.34% (13/970). Univariate analysis revealed that the prevalence of anaemia and a history of antifungal drug exposure, as well as the duration of broad-spectrum antibiotic use, were all significantly higher in the positive group than in the negative group. Furthermore, the duration of antimicrobial use and length of hospital stay were both longer in the positive group. Anaemia and a history of exposure to antifungal drugs were independent predictors of intestinal C.auris carriage. After incorporating these two factors into the predictive model, the AUC value was 0.828. Calibration curves demonstrated good agreement between predicted and actual detection rates, whilst decision curves indicated clinical net benefit within the 0–15% risk threshold.ConclusionThe presence of C.auris in the faeces of patients in ICU is associated with anaemia, a history of exposure to antifungal drugs. The predictive model developed in this study demonstrates good discriminatory performance, offering a practical means of implementing targeted screening and infection control measures in clinical practice.
Related
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BibTeX
@article{fang2026clinical,
title = {{Clinical characteristics of ICU patients with gastrointestinal colonisation by Candida auris}},
author = {Lianghao Fang and Yan Duan and Yan Duan and Donghao Cai and Donghao Cai and Chuangchuang Mei and Chuangchuang Mei and Xiaojing Hong and Xiaojing Hong and Xiaojun Li and Xiaojun Li},
journal = {Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3389/fcimb.2026.1944762},
url = {https://doi.org/10.3389/fcimb.2026.1944762},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Clinical characteristics of ICU patients with gastrointestinal colonisation by Candida auris
AU - Lianghao Fang
AU - Yan Duan
AU - Yan Duan
AU - Donghao Cai
AU - Donghao Cai
AU - Chuangchuang Mei
AU - Chuangchuang Mei
AU - Xiaojing Hong
AU - Xiaojing Hong
AU - Xiaojun Li
AU - Xiaojun Li
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/23
JO - Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology
DO - 10.3389/fcimb.2026.1944762
UR - https://doi.org/10.3389/fcimb.2026.1944762
AB - ObjectiveThis study aimed to analyse the detection of Candida auris in faecal cultures of intensive care unit (ICU) patients and its impact on clinical outcomes, whilst constructing a predictive model for the risk of intestinal carriage of this fungus to inform clinical screening and infection control strategies.MethodsA retrospective study design was employed, enrolling 970 eligible patients admitted to the ICU of Guangdong Provincial Second Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine between January 2024 and December 2025. Participants were categorised into a C.auris-positive group (n=13) and a negative group (n=957) based on stool culture results. Data were collected on patients’ underlying medical conditions, antibiotic use and invasive procedures prior to stool culture, treatment-related data and clinical outcome measures. Univariate analysis compared clinical characteristics between groups. Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO)regression screened potential predictors, establishing a multivariate logistic regression model visualised as a nomogram. Model performance was assessed via area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), calibration curves, and decision curves.ResultsAmong 970 patients, the detection rate of C.auris in stool cultures was 1.34% (13/970). Univariate analysis revealed that the prevalence of anaemia and a history of antifungal drug exposure, as well as the duration of broad-spectrum antibiotic use, were all significantly higher in the positive group than in the negative group. Furthermore, the duration of antimicrobial use and length of hospital stay were both longer in the positive group. Anaemia and a history of exposure to antifungal drugs were independent predictors of intestinal C.auris carriage. After incorporating these two factors into the predictive model, the AUC value was 0.828. Calibration curves demonstrated good agreement between predicted and actual detection rates, whilst decision curves indicated clinical net benefit within the 0–15% risk threshold.ConclusionThe presence of C.auris in the faeces of patients in ICU is associated with anaemia, a history of exposure to antifungal drugs. The predictive model developed in this study demonstrates good discriminatory performance, offering a practical means of implementing targeted screening and infection control measures in clinical practice.
SN - 2235-2988
ER -