Nucci, MarcioQueiroz-Telles, FlavioAlvarado-Matute, TitoTiraboschi, IrisCortes, JorgeZurita, JeanneteGuzman-Blanco, ManuelSantolaya, MariaThompson, LuisSifuentes-Osornio, JoseEchevarria, JuanColombo, Arnaldo2017-04-172017-04-172013PLoS One, 2013; 8(3): e59373http://hdl.handle.net/11447/1154http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0059373BACKGROUND: The epidemiology of candidemia varies depending on the geographic region. Little is known about the epidemiology of candidemia in Latin America. METHODS: We conducted a 24-month laboratory-based survey of candidemia in 20 centers of seven Latin American countries. Incidence rates were calculated and the epidemiology of candidemia was characterized. RESULTS: Among 672 episodes of candidemia, 297 (44.2%) occurred in children (23.7% younger than 1 year), 36.2% in adults between 19 and 60 years old and 19.6% in elderly patients. The overall incidence was 1.18 cases per 1,000 admissions, and varied across countries, with the highest incidence in Colombia and the lowest in Chile. Candida albicans (37.6%), C. parapsilosis (26.5%) and C. tropicalis (17.6%) were the leading agents, with great variability in species distribution in the different countries. Most isolates were highly susceptible to fluconazole, voriconazole, amphotericin B and anidulafungin. Fluconazole was the most frequent agent used as primary treatment (65.8%), and the overall 30-day survival was 59.3%. CONCLUSIONS: This first large epidemiologic study of candidemia in Latin America showed a high incidence of candidemia, high percentage of children, typical species distribution, with C. albicans, C. parapsilosis and C. tropicalis accounting for the majority of episodes, and low resistance rates.7en-USCandidaCandidemia/drug therapyCandidemia/epidemiologyFluconazole/therapeutic useArtículo