candida colonization index and subsequent didier pittet ... · candida spp. on mucosal surfaces...

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Philippe Eggimann Didier Pittet Candida colonization index and subsequent infection in critically ill surgical patients: 20 years later Received: 20 March 2014 Accepted: 23 May 2014 Published online: 17 June 2014 Ó The Author(s) 2014. This article is published with open access at Springerlink.com P. Eggimann Adult Critical Care Medicine and Burn Unit, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois (CHUV), Lausanne, Switzerland e-mail: [email protected] D. Pittet ( ) ) Faculty of Medicine, Infection Control Program and WHO Collaborating Center on Patient Safety, University of Geneva Hospitals (HUG), Rue Gabrielle-Perret- Gentil 4, 1205 Geneva, Switzerland e-mail: [email protected] Tel.: ?41 22 372 9844 Abstract Introduction: For dec- ades, clinicians dealing with immunocompromised and critically ill patients have perceived a link between Candida colonization and subsequent infection. However, the pathophysiological progression from colonization to infection was clearly established only through the formal description of the colonization index (CI) in critically ill patients. Unfortu- nately, the literature reflects intense confusion about the pathophysiology of invasive candidiasis and specific associated risk factors. Meth- ods: We review the contribution of the CI in the field of Candida infection and its development in the 20 years following its original description in 1994. The development of the CI enabled an improved understanding of the pathogenesis of invasive candidi- asis and the use of targeted empirical antifungal therapy in subgroups of patients at increased risk for infection. Results: The recognition of specific characteristics among underlying conditions, such as neutropenia, solid organ transplantation, and surgical and nonsurgical critical illness, has enabled the description of distinct epidemiological patterns in the development of invasive candidiasis. Conclusions: Despite its limited bedside practicality and before con- firmation of potentially more accurate predictors, such as specific biomark- ers, the CI remains an important way to characterize the dynamics of colo- nization, which increases early in patients who develop invasive candidiasis. Keywords Candida albicans Candidemia Invasive candidiasis Colonization Colonization index Empirical treatment Nosocomial infections Introduction Candida spp. colonization occurs in up to 80 % of critically ill patients after 1 week in intensive care [13]. This very high proportion contrasts strongly with the low rate of invasive candidiasis in less than 10 % of them [4, 5]. Despite recent advances in microbiological techniques, early diagnosis of invasive candidiasis remains problematic and microbiologi- cal documentation often occurs late in the course of infection [68]. This explains its high crude and attributable mortality, i.e., in the range reported for septic shock [911]. Early empirical treatment of severe candidiasis has improved survival, but is responsible for the overuse of antifungals [1214]. This overuse not only contributes to a huge financial burden, but has also promoted a shift to Candida species with reduced susceptibility to antifungal agents [15, 16]. Unfortunately, recent guidelines resulting from expert consensus failed to provide high-level rec- ommendations about empirical antifungal treatment or to clarify the nature of such treatment strategies [8, 17, 18]. Despite limited levels of evidence, empirical treatment currently relies on the positive predictive value of risk Intensive Care Med (2014) 40:1429–1448 DOI 10.1007/s00134-014-3355-z MY PAPER 20 YEARS LATER

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Page 1: Candida colonization index and subsequent Didier Pittet ... · Candida spp. on mucosal surfaces injured by chemother-apy develops progressively and is responsible for fungal translocation

Philippe EggimannDidier Pittet

Candida colonization index and subsequentinfection in critically ill surgical patients:20 years later

Received: 20 March 2014Accepted: 23 May 2014Published online: 17 June 2014� The Author(s) 2014. This article ispublished with open access atSpringerlink.com

P. EggimannAdult Critical Care Medicine and BurnUnit, Centre Hospitalier UniversitaireVaudois (CHUV), Lausanne, Switzerlande-mail: [email protected]

D. Pittet ())Faculty of Medicine, Infection ControlProgram and WHO Collaborating Center onPatient Safety, University of GenevaHospitals (HUG), Rue Gabrielle-Perret-Gentil 4, 1205 Geneva, Switzerlande-mail: [email protected].: ?41 22 372 9844

Abstract Introduction: For dec-ades, clinicians dealing withimmunocompromised and critically illpatients have perceived a linkbetween Candida colonization andsubsequent infection. However, thepathophysiological progression fromcolonization to infection was clearlyestablished only through the formaldescription of the colonization index(CI) in critically ill patients. Unfortu-nately, the literature reflects intenseconfusion about the pathophysiologyof invasive candidiasis and specificassociated risk factors. Meth-ods: We review the contribution ofthe CI in the field of Candida infectionand its development in the 20 yearsfollowing its original description in1994. The development of the CIenabled an improved understanding ofthe pathogenesis of invasive candidi-asis and the use of targeted empiricalantifungal therapy in subgroups ofpatients at increased risk for infection.

Results: The recognition of specificcharacteristics among underlyingconditions, such as neutropenia, solidorgan transplantation, and surgicaland nonsurgical critical illness, hasenabled the description of distinctepidemiological patterns in thedevelopment of invasive candidiasis.Conclusions: Despite its limitedbedside practicality and before con-firmation of potentially more accuratepredictors, such as specific biomark-ers, the CI remains an important wayto characterize the dynamics of colo-nization, which increases early inpatients who develop invasivecandidiasis.

Keywords Candida albicans �Candidemia � Invasive candidiasis �Colonization � Colonization index �Empirical treatment �Nosocomial infections

Introduction

Candida spp. colonization occurs in up to 80 % of criticallyill patients after 1 week in intensive care [1–3]. This very highproportion contrasts strongly with the low rate of invasivecandidiasis in less than 10 % of them [4, 5]. Despite recentadvances in microbiological techniques, early diagnosis ofinvasive candidiasis remains problematic and microbiologi-cal documentation often occurs late in the course of infection[6–8]. This explains its high crude and attributable mortality,i.e., in the range reported for septic shock [9–11].

Early empirical treatment of severe candidiasis hasimproved survival, but is responsible for the overuse ofantifungals [12–14]. This overuse not only contributes toa huge financial burden, but has also promoted a shift toCandida species with reduced susceptibility to antifungalagents [15, 16]. Unfortunately, recent guidelines resultingfrom expert consensus failed to provide high-level rec-ommendations about empirical antifungal treatment or toclarify the nature of such treatment strategies [8, 17, 18].Despite limited levels of evidence, empirical treatmentcurrently relies on the positive predictive value of risk

Intensive Care Med (2014) 40:1429–1448DOI 10.1007/s00134-014-3355-z MY PAPER 20 YEARS LATER

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assessment strategies, such as the colonization index (CI),Candida score, and predictive rules based on combina-tions of risk factors [19–21].

Improved knowledge of the pathophysiological spec-ificities of invasive candidiasis should promote better useof clinical tools in the evaluation of patients who couldtruly benefit from early antifungal therapy [22]. In con-trast to most bacterial infections, invasive candidiasis ischaracterized by a 7–10-day delay between exposure torisk factors and infection development [23–25]. This timewindow provides a unique opportunity for the imple-mentation of a structured approach to the rigorousselection of patients likely to benefit from early empiricalantifungal treatment [19, 26].

The CI is the most widely studied clinical tool for theearly risk assessment of invasive candidiasis among at-risk patients. The primary objective of this review is tohighlight its role in this setting. The use of colonizationdynamics, as assessed by the CI, for the early detection ofpatients likely to benefit from early antifungal treatment isalso explored in comparison with other tools currentlyavailable in clinical practice. Finally, we also propose aresearch agenda for the next decade.

Pathophysiology of invasive candidiasis

Nosocomial exogenous transmission of Candida has beenwell described [27]. Of note, both endogenous andexogenous colonization can co-exist in the clinical setting[1]. However, carefully designed studies using genotypingof Candida strains confirmed that endogenous coloniza-tion is responsible for the large majority of severecandidiasis [28, 29].

The epidemiology of invasive candidiasis has someimportant differences in immunocompromised and criti-cally ill patients (Fig. 1).

Neutropenic and bone marrow transplant recipients

Neutrophils are essential in the defense against invasivecandidiasis [30]. Their prolonged absence in neutropenicpatients or those with functional impairment after bonemarrow transplantation, combined with the selectivepressure of frequent and repetitive exposure to antibacte-rial agents, plays a major role in the development ofinvasive candidiasis in these patients. A high density ofCandida spp. on mucosal surfaces injured by chemother-apy develops progressively and is responsible for fungaltranslocation with a high risk of candidemia. The use ofsystematic antifungal prophylaxis in the past three decadesexplains the epidemiology of Candida infection, typi-cally characterized by breakthrough invasive candidiasis[31, 32]. Infection is almost always caused by a Candidastrain resistant to the antifungal agent used [15, 33].

Solid organ transplant recipients

Anti-rejection therapy increases the risk for Aspergillusand other filamentous fungal infections in solid organtransplant recipients, except among those receiving smallbowel and liver transplants, in whom additional specificsurgical factors further modify the epidemiology of dis-ease [34, 35]. Prolonged and intense impairment ofcellular T cell-mediated immune response may contributeto the high proportion of cutaneous and mucosal candi-diasis [36]. This factor has justified the use of systematicantifungal prophylaxis in these patients in whom, asamong neutropenic patients and bone marrow transplantrecipients, breakthrough Candida spp. infection developswith strains resistant to the agent used [18].

Nonsurgical critically ill patients

In nonsurgical critically ill patients, the continuous andprolonged support of failing organs and the selectivepressure of broad-spectrum antibiotics constitute key riskfactors for invasive candidiasis. Support of organ failurerequires the use of numerous devices, such as intravas-cular catheters, endotracheal tubes, naso- and oro-gastrictubes, and Foley catheters, which are frequently colonizedby Candida spp. as a result of the high affinity of theirbiofilm [1]. These specificities may explain progressivecolonization in a high proportion of patients after pro-longed stay in the intensive care unit (ICU) [6, 37, 38].They may also explain a higher proportion of catheter-related infections in the absence of severe immuneimpairment [39]. In this context, the role of exposure tosteroids largely used to improve the speed of recoveryfrom circulatory failure remains to be determined.

Limited data are available on the usefulness of pro-phylaxis and recent guidelines did not includerecommendation for antifungal prophylaxis in nonsurgi-cal critically ill patients [17, 18, 40].

Critically ill patients recovering from abdominalsurgery

Additional factors should be considered in patients afterabdominal surgery [41]. Any perforation or opening of thedigestive tract results in contamination of the peritoneumby bowel flora. In most cases, surgical cleaning of theabdominal cavity, eventually combined with antibiotics, issufficient to allow full recovery [42]. Except for patientspresenting with nosocomial peritonitis and some of thosepresenting with septic shock and multiple organ failure,the identification of Candida spp. has no clinical signifi-cance under these conditions [22]. Recurrent peritonitisfollowing anastomotic leakage or persistent inflammationmay be required for the progression of Candida spp.

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Neutropenic patients Solid organ transplant recipients

Candida spp.Gram positiveGram negative

Red cell

Macrophage

Critically ill non-surgical patientsCritically ill surgical patients

Candida spp.Gram positiveGram negative

Red cell

Macrophage

Lymphocyte

Neutrophil

Fig. 1 Pathophysiology of invasive candidiasis in different patient populations. Detailed mechanisms are summarized in thecorresponding sections of the text

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colonization to invasive candidiasis [43]. However, thedevelopment of invasive candidiasis requires concomitantexposure to additional factors, such as an increasingamount of Candida spp. in a non-functioning bowel,prolonged antibiotic treatment, and/or requirement fororgan support. In contrast to nonsurgical patients, theseparticularities explain why a high proportion of invasivecandidiasis cases do not manifest with candidemia anddevelop only late in the course of the disease [44].

Non-candidemic invasive candidiasis includes intra-abdominal abscess and peritonitis defined by one of thefollowing culture results from specimens obtained at sur-gery: (1) monomicrobial growth of Candida spp.; (2) anyamount of Candida spp. growth within a mixed-floraabscess; or (3) moderate or heavy growth of Candida spp. inmixed-flora peritonitis treated with appropriate antibacte-rial therapy according to susceptibility testing [43–46].

Two small prospective studies, including one placebo-controlled, suggested that antifungal prophylaxis inpatients presenting with anastomotic leakage afterabdominal surgery may prevent the development ofinvasive candidiasis [18, 45, 46].

In patients with severe acute necrotizing pancreatitis,invasive candidiasis develops with similar pathophysio-logical characteristics. Progressive colonization of thebowel within the first 2 weeks of the disease results intranslocation into necrotic tissues, and fungal infectionshave been documented in up to 10 % of patients notexposed to antibiotics.

Critically ill patients with Candida isolatedfrom the respiratory tract

Candida spp. colonization of the airway is frequentlyreported in mechanically ventilated critically ill patients,and its clinical significance is difficult to evaluate. Can-dida has a low affinity for alveolar pneumocytes andhistologically documented pneumonia has been rarelyreported. Hematogenous dissemination in the context ofcandidemia [1] may be responsible for multiple pulmon-ary abscesses and should be viewed as a distinct entity.Hence the existence of true candidal pneumonia isdoubtful and recovery of Candida spp. from the respira-tory tract should generally be considered as colonizationand does not justify antifungal therapy [17–19].

Candida colonization

The distinction between patients with Candida spp. col-onization who did not require treatment and those likelyto develop invasive infection was identified as a difficultclinical challenge in the field of infectious diseases morethan 40 years ago [47]. After the description in the early

1970s of Candida infection in surgical patients, mani-festing as ‘‘disseminated candidiasis’’ and characterizedby persistent fungemia and multiple disseminated mic-roabscesses on autopsy, several authors reported that itmight be preceded by fungal colonization. Klein andWatanakunakorn [48] reported the presence of visceralmicroabscesses in up to 30 % of patients with Candidaspp. colonization and recommended treatment of all suchpatients with critical illness or persistent candidemia.

Solomkin et al. confirmed this concept in a detailedreview of 63 surgical patients with postoperative candi-demia. Among 51 patients who developed candidemia as alate complication of intra-abdominal infection, adequateantifungal treatment ([3 mg/kg amphotericin B) resultedin survival of 10/15 patients compared with 6/36 untreatedpatients. Autopsies revealed visceral Candida spp. mic-roabscesses in 7/20 patients [42, 49]. Moreover, a digestivefungal source was identified in nearly all patients, andcandidemia was considered to originate from intestinalCandida spp. growth in the presence of mucosal loss.

Calandra et al. provided further evidence of the clinicalsignificance of Candida colonization of the peritoneum insurgical patients [39]. In a series of 49 patients withspontaneous perforation (n = 28) or surgical opening ofthe digestive tract (n = 21), 19 (39 %) patients developedinvasive candidiasis, including 7 cases of intra-abdominalabscesses and 12 cases of peritonitis [43]. Invasive can-didiasis developed significantly more frequently in patientswho had undergone surgery for acute pancreatitis than inthose with gastrointestinal perforations (90 vs. 32 %,p = 0.005) or other disorders, such as diseases of the bil-iary tract or colon (90 vs. 17 %, p = 0.003). Invasivecandidiasis was associated significantly with an initiallyhigh or increasing amount of Candida spp., as assessed bysemiquantitative cultures. Compared with uninfectedpatients, Candida spp. showed light, moderate, and heavygrowth from the first positive specimen in 26 (87 %) vs. 9(47 %), 4 (13 %) vs. 6 (32 %), and 0 vs. 4 (21 %) infectedpatients, respectively (p = 0.005). Moreover, the amountof Candida spp. cultured from subsequent specimensincreased in 15 (79 %) infected patients and only 2 (7 %)uninfected patients (p \ 0.001) [39].

Candida colonization index: the missing link

In the early 1990s, the origin of Candida spp. infectionwas highly debated [50]. Whether the infection wasexogenous or endogenous in origin, and whether patientscould become colonized with strains from the surroundingenvironment or with their ‘‘own’’ strains of Candida spp.was uncertain. We tested the hypothesis that yeast colo-nization would precede infection in critically ill patients[23]. We determined the genotypic characteristics of 322Candida spp. collected prospectively from 29 critically ill

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patients who developed significant colonization underroutine culture surveillance two to three times weeklyover a 6-month period. These patients belonged to acohort of 650 surgical ICU patients. Significant coloni-zation was defined as the presence of Candida spp. inthree or more samples taken from one or more sites on atleast two consecutive screening days. Candida spp.strains isolated from an individual patient had an identicalgenetic pattern, even when isolated from different bodysites, and this pattern remained the same over a prolongedperiod of up to 140 days. No horizontal transmissioncould be demonstrated during the study period. Invasivecandidiasis, including 8 cases of candidemia, occurred in11/29 (38 %) patients. All patients who developedinfection had previous colonization by strains with iden-tical genetic patterns. Our intensive surveillance failed todocument cross-transmission of Candida spp. betweencolonized and non-colonized patients.

Colonization index

The development of the CI has been viewed as a majorconceptual advance in the characterization of supportingthe progression from colonization to infection in surgicalpatients.

The Candida CI is defined as the ratio of the number ofdistinct non-blood body sites colonized by Candida spp. to

the total number of body sites cultured [24]. With theexception of blood cultures, samples collected from bodysites other than those routinely screened are also consideredin the CI (Table 1). Only strains of Candida spp. with thesame genetic identity are considered in calculating the CI.

All 29 included patients were heavily colonized withCandida spp., but with no significant difference in thereason for ICU admission and comorbidities betweeninfected and uninfected patients. The Acute Physiologyand Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) score andduration of antibiotic exposure before colonization werehigher among the 11 patients who ultimately developedinvasive candidiasis. In these patients, colonization pre-ceded infection by an average of 25 days (range 6–70).The 18 patients who did not develop infection were col-onized for a mean of 29 days (range 5–140). A total of153 [5.3 ± 1 (range 3–8) per patient] distinct body siteswere tested, and this number did not differ significantlybetween the two groups of patients.

The CI was calculated daily, and the highest valuesobtained before invasive candidiasis development werecompared with those recorded for patients who did notdevelop candidiasis. The average CI differed significantlybetween colonized and infected patients (0.47 vs. 0.70,p \ 0.01). All patients who ultimately developed infec-tion reached the threshold value of 0.5 before infection(Fig. 2). Importantly, infected patients reached thethreshold CI value an average of 6 days (range 2–21)

Table 1 Description of the colonization index

Index Definition Formula

Colonization index (CI) Ratio of the number of distinct non-blood body sitescolonized by Candida spp. to the total number ofbody sites cultured. With the exception of bloodcultures, samples collected from body sites otherthan those routinely screened are also considered.Only strains of Candida spp. with identicalelectrophoretic karyotypes are considered whencalculating the CI

CI¼ Number of sites colonizedNumber of sites cultured

Corrected colonizationindex (CCI)

Product of the CI and the ratio of the number ofdistinct body sites showing heavy growth (???from semi-quantitative culture or B105 in urine orgastric juice) to the total number of body sites withCandida spp. heavy growth

CCI ¼ Number of sites colonized

Number of sites cultured

� Number of sites with heavy growth

Total positive sites

Use of the CIa In patients perceived to be at risk of developing aninvasive candidiasis: twice weekly surveillanceculture of the following sitesb:

- Oropharynx swab or tracheal secretions- Gastric fluid- Perinea swab or stool sample- Urine sample- Surgical wound swab or drained abdominal fluids- Catheter insertion sites

a Identification of Candida species at the genetic level has onlybeen performed in the original study. However, different species ofCandida may contribute to the burden of fungi which will eventuallyresult in symptomatic infection. Accordingly, we suggest to con-sider all species of Candida identified for the calculation of the CI

b Except for specific invasive candidiasis discussed in the sectionon pathophysiology of non-candidemic invasive candidiasis, Can-dida spp. isolated from these sites should be considered ascolonization

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before candidiasis. All but one patient reached thisthreshold at least 3 days before the time of infection. Thesensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predic-tive values of the CI were determined to be 100, 69, 66,and 100 %, respectively.

Corrected colonization index

In a post hoc analysis, we developed the corrected colo-nization index (CCI) by taking into account the amount ofCandida spp. recovered by semiquantitative cultures [24].The CCI is the product of the CI and the ratio of thenumber of distinct body sites showing heavy growth(??? or at most 105 in urine or gastric juice) to the totalof distinct body sites with Candida spp. growth (Table 1).

The mean CCI differed significantly between colo-nized (0.16) and infected (0.56) patients (p \ 0.01). CCIswere less than 0.35 in all colonized patients and at least0.4 in all infected patients (p B 0.001). The sensitivity,specificity, and positive and negative predictive valueswere all 100 %. In a multiple logistic regression analysis,only the APACHE II score [odds ratio (OR), 1.03; 95 %confidence interval, 1.01–1.05 per point; p = 0.007] andCCI (OR, 4.01; 95 % confidence interval, 2.16–7.45;p \ 0.001) independently predicted the development ofinvasive candidiasis.

Overview of the usefulness of the colonization index

Since the publication of the paper describing the CI in1994 in Annals of Surgery, many centers have used the CI

or a methodology derived from its original description toassess the dynamics of Candida colonization in differentsubgroups of critically ill patients at risk of invasivecandidiasis. Unfortunately, these data have not been val-idated in large multicenter trials.

Several studies have indirectly suggested the validityand potential usefulness of the CI, but almost exclusivelyin surgical patients (Table 2). This index has been used tocharacterize colonization dynamics [37, 38, 51–55],assess the significance of candiduria in critically illpatients [38, 56–59], and evaluate the impact of anti-fungal prophylaxis in subgroups of patients at risk ofcandidiasis [40, 46, 60–63]. At least four studies havereported the use of the CI to guide empirical antifungaltreatment. Although major methodological flaws maypreclude the validation of their findings, this applicationreduced the incidence of ICU-acquired invasive candidi-asis in all four studies (Table 3) [57, 64–66].

Dubau et al. [57] prospectively monitored CIs weeklyin 89/669 consecutive patients staying in the ICU formore than 7 days after digestive surgery who had pro-tein C levels greater than 100 mg/l or received antibiotictreatment for more than 7 days. All patients developinga CI above 0.5 were empirically treated with antifungalsuntil it decreased below 0.5. The proportion of patientswith CIs greater than 0.5 increased from 6 to 25, 40, 55,and 59 % after 1, 2, 3, 4, and more than 4 weeks,respectively. Only one of the 35 patients with CIsgreater than 0.5 who were empirically treated withantifungal medications developed candidiasis; the degreeof colonization decreased rapidly in the other 34patients.

In a before/after trial, Piarroux et al. [64] prospectivelyused weekly CIs and CCIs to assess the intensity ofCandida spp. colonization in 478 surgical patients stayingin the ICU. Patients with CCIs greater than 0.4 receivedempirical antifungal treatment. Compared with an his-torical cohort of 455 control subjects, the incidence ofinvasive candidiasis was lower among these patients (7.0vs. 3.8 %; p = 0.03). Moreover, this strategy completelyprevented the development of ICU-acquired invasivecandidiasis. The proportions of patients treated empiri-cally were 87 % of those with CCIs greater than 0.4(some of them died before the CCI could be calculated),18 % of those with CCIs less than 0.4 and CIs greaterthan 0.5, and 2 % of those with CCIs less than 0.4. A totalof 25 % of patients received empirical antifungal treat-ment. The authors estimated that 160 completemycological screenings and 10 preemptive antifungaltreatments were needed to prevent one proven ICU-acquired invasive candidiasis. Despite the absence ofrandomization, this study is the most valuable ever per-formed using the CI to guide empirical antifungaltreatment. However, the intense laboratory work requiredto perform CI in all ICU patients and the high proportionof patient treated may explain why this practice is not

Days

Colonization intex

0.8

0.6

0.4

0.2

Fig. 2 Colonization index. This index is defined as the ratio of thenumber of distinct non-blood body sites with Candida spp.colonization to the total number of distinct body sites tested. Itwas recorded for each patient from the first day of colonizationuntil discharge from the intensive care unit (uninfected patients) orsevere candidiasis development (infected patients). Black circlesrepresent patients who developed severe candidiasis, white circlesrepresent patients who remained colonized. Reproduced withpermission from Pittet et al. [24]

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Tab

le2

Rep

ort

edex

per

ience

wit

hth

euse

of

the

colo

niz

atio

nin

dex

(CI)

Ref

eren

ceT

ype

of

pat

ient;

study

des

ign

Num

ber

of

pat

ients

Num

ber

of

invas

ive

candid

iasi

s

case

s

CI

monit

ori

ng

Num

ber

of

surv

eill

ance

cult

ure

s

Mai

nC

Ifi

ndin

gs

Auth

ors

’co

ncl

usi

on

Gen

eral

studie

s(n

=7)

Tra

net

al.

[51

]C

ardia

csu

rger

y;

pro

spec

tive

81

7P

reoper

ativ

ely,

day

6or

at

dis

char

ge

773

(mea

n,

8.8

/

pat

ient)

;116

(16.3

%)

posi

tive

CI:

in57

%dev

elopin

gIC

,

23

%unin

fect

ed;

CI

asso

ciat

edw

ith

fem

ale

sex

(45

vs.

21

%),

cath

eter

dura

tion

(13

vs.

11

day

s),

length

of

ICU

stay

(5.7

vs.

4.9

day

s)

CI

did

not

chan

ge

in43

%

dev

elopin

gIC

,72

%

unin

fect

ed

‘‘T

his

study

show

edth

atth

ree

epid

emio

logic

alfa

ctors

dura

tion

of

the

intr

avas

cula

r

cath

eter

izat

ion

and

med

ical

dev

ices

,le

ngth

of

stay

inth

e

SIC

Uan

dth

ese

xof

the

pat

ient—

wer

eas

soci

ated

in

elec

tive

card

iovas

cula

r

surg

ical

pat

ients

wit

han

incr

ease

of

the

Candid

asp

p.

colo

niz

atio

nin

dex

,w

hic

h

hel

ps

toid

enti

fyhig

h-r

isk

pat

ients

for

Candid

a

infe

ctio

ns’

Yaz

dan

par

ast

etal

.[5

2]

Car

dia

csu

rger

y;

pro

spec

tive

131:

coro

nar

yar

tery

bypas

sgra

ftin

g

wit

h(n

=72)

and

wit

hout

(n=

59)

extr

acorp

ore

al

circ

ula

tion

0P

reoper

ativ

ely,

post

oper

ativ

ely

(day

not

spec

ified

)

147

Inpat

ients

requir

ing

extr

acorp

ore

alci

rcula

tion,

:C

Ias

soci

ated

wit

hm

ore

anti

bio

tic

use

(1.5

0.8

3

vs.

1.0

0.4

0;

dif

fere

nt

agen

ts;

p=

0.0

055)

‘‘E

pid

emio

logic

aldat

a

obta

ined

from

this

study

show

that

coro

nar

yar

tery

bypas

sgra

ftin

gw

ith

extr

acorp

ore

alci

rcula

tion

pro

cedure

isas

soci

ated

wit

h

anin

crea

sein

the

use

of

anti

bio

tics

and

subse

quen

tly

ahig

her

risk

of

Candid

a

colo

niz

atio

n-i

nfe

ctio

n’’

Char

les

etal

.

[37

]

Mix

edIC

U,

pat

ients

wit

h

candid

emia

;

retr

osp

ecti

ve

51:

20

MIC

U,

32

SIC

U(p

\0.0

5)

51

Dai

lyfo

r7

day

s

bef

ore

candid

emia

Not

spec

ified

(mea

n,

3.2

/pat

ient

bef

ore

candid

emia

)

Mea

nC

Iin

46

asse

ssed

:

0.5

0.3

9

CI

C0.5

0in

21

(45.6

%)

MIC

U0.7

0.3

1vs.

SIC

U

0.4

0.4

0(p

=0.0

1)

Mea

nC

Iin

surv

ival

0.4

6vs.

dea

th0.6

3(p

=0.0

4)

Bet

ter

ICU

outc

om

eas

soci

ated

wit

hpri

or

surg

ery

[HR

,0.2

5

(0.0

9–0.6

7)]

,an

tifu

ngal

trea

tmen

t[H

R,

0.1

1

(0.0

4–0.3

0)]

,ab

sence

of

neu

tropen

ia[H

R,

0.1

0

(0.0

2–0.4

5)]

‘‘C

andid

emia

occ

urr

ence

is

asso

ciat

edw

ith

ahig

h

mort

alit

yra

team

ong

crit

ical

lyil

lpat

ients

.

Dif

fere

nce

sin

under

lyin

g

condit

ions

could

acco

unt

for

the

poore

routc

om

eof

the

med

ical

pat

ients

.S

cree

nin

g

for

fungal

colo

niz

atio

nco

uld

allo

wid

enti

fica

tion

of

such

hig

h-r

isk

pat

ients

and,

in

turn

,im

pro

ve

outc

om

e’’

1435

Page 8: Candida colonization index and subsequent Didier Pittet ... · Candida spp. on mucosal surfaces injured by chemother-apy develops progressively and is responsible for fungal translocation

Ta

ble

2co

nti

nu

ed

Ref

eren

ceT

ype

of

pat

ient;

study

des

ign

Num

ber

of

pat

ients

Num

ber

of

invas

ive

candid

iasi

s

case

s

CI

monit

ori

ng

Num

ber

of

surv

eill

ance

cult

ure

s

Mai

nC

Ifi

ndin

gs

Auth

ors

’co

ncl

usi

on

Char

les

etal

.

[38]

Med

ical

ICU

,st

ay

[7

day

s;

pro

spec

tive

92

1(s

epti

csh

ock

wit

hty

pic

al

mac

ulo

pap

ula

r

rash

,posi

tive

skin

bio

psy

)

Wee

kly

(mea

n,

3.2

/

pat

ient)

1,6

96

(mea

n,

18.4

/pat

ient)

CI

C0.5

0in

36

(39.1

%),

alm

ost

all

wit

hdet

ecta

ble

fungal

colo

niz

atio

non

ICU

adm

issi

on

Pre

dic

tors

of

CI

C0.5

:

Candid

aco

loniz

atio

nat

adm

issi

on

[OR

18.8

0

(5.2

1–67.7

9)]

,[2

day

s

bla

dder

cath

eter

izat

ion

[OR

,

10.4

4(1

.61–67.8

5)]

CI:

asso

ciat

edw

ith

day

son

bro

ad-s

pec

trum

anti

bio

tics

[b=

0.0

1(0

.01–0.0

2)]

,

hem

atolo

gic

alm

alig

nan

cy

[b=

0.4

1(0

.09–0.7

3)]

,

candid

uri

a[b

=0.2

(0.0

9–0.3

1)]

Em

pir

ical

anti

fungal

trea

tmen

t

pre

scri

bed

in14/3

6(3

9%

)

wit

hC

IC

0.5

,7/5

6(1

3%

)

wit

hC

I\

0.5

(p=

0.0

07)

‘‘C

andid

asp

p.

mult

iple

-sit

e

colo

niz

atio

nis

freq

uen

tly

reac

hed

among

the

crit

ical

ly

ill

med

ical

pat

ients

.B

road

spec

trum

anti

bio

tic

ther

apy

was

found

topro

mote

fungal

gro

wth

inpat

ients

wit

hpri

or

colo

niz

atio

n.

Sin

cem

ost

of

the

invas

ive

candid

iasi

sin

the

ICU

sett

ing

are

thought

tobe

subse

quen

tto

colo

niz

atio

nin

hig

h-r

isk

pat

ients

,re

duci

ng

anti

bio

tic

use

could

be

use

ful

in

pre

ven

ting

fungal

infe

ctio

ns’

Elo

yet

al.

[53

]M

ixed

ICU

,ri

sk

fact

ors

(anti

bio

tics

or

hosp

ital

stay

[8

day

s,

neu

tropen

ia);

pro

spec

tive

75:

46

MIC

U,

29

SIC

U

4M

ICU

(2

resp

irat

ory

trac

t,2

uri

nar

y);

5

SIC

U(4

per

itonit

is,

1

uri

nar

y)

At

adm

issi

on,

wee

kly

901;

469

(52

%)

posi

tive

Acc

ura

cyof

CI[

0.5

in

pre

dic

ting

ICin

MIC

U:

sens,

75

%;

spec

,35

%;

PP

V,

10

%;

NP

V,

94

%

InS

ICU

:se

ns,

100

%;

spec

,

50

%;

PP

V,

29

%;

NP

V,

100

%

‘‘S

erolo

gic

alte

sts

fail

edto

dif

fere

nti

ate

infe

cted

from

non-i

nfe

cted

pat

ients

.T

he

Pit

tet’

sC

Iid

enti

fied

infe

cted

surg

ical

pat

ients

(Fis

her

exac

tte

st,

0.0

52),

whic

har

e

inth

epopula

tion

wit

h

CI[

0.5

’’

Agval

d-O

hm

an

etal

.[5

4]

Mix

edIC

U,

stay

[7

day

s;

pro

spec

tive

59

10

At

adm

issi

on,

then

wee

kly

401;

149

(37

%)

posi

tive

32

(54

%)

rece

ived

anti

fungal

s:

10

wit

hIC

[mea

nC

I,0.7

;8

had

dig

esti

ve

surg

ery,

7had

CIs

[0.5

(\0.8

in6)]

;22

wit

hout

IC(m

ean

CI,

0.2

6;

7

had

dig

esti

ve

surg

ery,

9had

CIs

[0.5

)

17/2

5(6

8%

)w

ith

CIs

C0.5

on

day

7re

ceiv

ed

anti

fungal

s

Pre

dic

tors

of

IC:

CI[

0.5

(OR

,

19.1

[2.4

–435])

,dig

esti

ve

surg

ery

[OR

,60

(2.4

infi

nit

y)]

‘‘H

igh

colo

niz

atio

nin

dex

and

rece

nt

exte

nsi

ve

gas

tro-

abdom

inal

surg

ery

wer

e

signifi

cantl

yco

rrel

ated

wit

h

IC.

The

resu

lts

indic

ate

that

ICU

pat

ients

expose

dto

exte

nsi

ve

gas

tro-a

bdom

inal

surg

ery

would

ben

efit

from

earl

yan

tifu

ngal

pro

phyla

xis

’’

1436

Page 9: Candida colonization index and subsequent Didier Pittet ... · Candida spp. on mucosal surfaces injured by chemother-apy develops progressively and is responsible for fungal translocation

Ta

ble

2co

nti

nu

ed

Ref

eren

ceT

ype

of

pat

ient;

study

des

ign

Num

ber

of

pat

ients

Num

ber

of

invas

ive

candid

iasi

s

case

s

CI

monit

ori

ng

Num

ber

of

surv

eill

ance

cult

ure

s

Mai

nC

Ifi

ndin

gs

Auth

ors

’co

ncl

usi

on

Mas

sou

etal

.

[55

]

Med

ical

ICU

,st

ay

[2

day

san

dat

leas

tone

risk

fact

or;

pro

spec

tive

100

15

At

adm

issi

on,

then

wee

kly

816

(incl

udin

g143

blo

od

cult

ure

s)

CI

C0.5

in53

(53

%),

pre

dic

ted

only

by

cort

icost

eroid

s[O

R,

5.1

(1.0

2–25.2

)]

Acc

ura

cyof

CI[

0.5

in

pre

dic

ting

IC:

sens,

93

%;

spec

,48

%;

PP

V,

26

%;

NP

V,

98

%

Only

neu

tropen

iapre

dic

ted

invas

ive

candid

iasi

s[O

R,

18.3

(2.9

–114)]

‘‘C

Ihas

the

advan

tage

to

pro

vid

equan

tifi

eddat

aof

the

pat

ient’

ssi

tuat

ion

in

rela

tion

toth

eco

loniz

atio

n.

But,

itis

n’t

hel

pfu

lw

ith

pat

ients

hav

ing

anin

vas

ive

candid

iasi

sin

med

ical

inte

nsi

ve

care

unit

’’

Candid

uri

ast

udie

s(n

=5)

Chab

asse

[56

]15

mix

edIC

Us,

one

maj

or

or

two

min

or

risk

fact

ors

and

candid

uri

a;

pro

spec

tive

135

0A

tti

me

of

candid

uri

aan

d/

or

candid

emia

Not

avai

lable

Can

did

uri

a:\

10

3,

56

(42

%);

10

3–10

4,

21

(16

%);

[10

4,

56

(42

%)

CI[

0.5

in36/7

6te

sted

(65

%

wit

hca

ndid

uri

a[

10

4,

31

%

wit

hca

ndid

uri

a\

10

4;

p=

0.0

03)

‘‘Q

uan

tifi

cati

on

of

candid

uri

a

could

be

use

ful

tose

lect

pat

ients

athig

hri

skfo

r

dis

sem

inat

edca

ndid

iasi

s’’

Dubau

etal

.

[57

]

Surg

ical

ICU

,st

ay

or

anti

bio

tics

[7

day

sor

post

oper

ativ

e

fist

ula

and

CR

P[

100

mg/

ml;

pro

spec

tive

89

1/3

5em

pir

ical

ly

trea

ted

wit

h

CIs

C0.5

;0

wit

h

CIs

\0.5

;22

candid

uri

a

On

incl

usi

on,

then

wee

kly

2,2

38

Abse

nce

of

candid

uri

a:

CI

=0.3

–0.4

7(p

=0.0

08)

Pre

sence

of

candid

uri

a:

CI

=0.5

7–0.8

7

(p=

0.0

001)

‘‘T

he

pre

sence

of

aca

ndid

uri

a

was

signifi

cantl

yas

soci

ated

wit

han

incr

ease

din

vas

ive

candid

iasi

s’’

Sel

lam

iet

al.

[58

]

Mix

edIC

U,

stay

[3

day

s;

pro

spec

tive

162

6;

56

candid

uri

aO

nin

clusi

on,

then

wee

kly

Not

avai

lable

Can

did

uri

a:\

10

3,

12

(21

%);

10

3–10

4,

16

(29

%);

[10

4,

28

(50

%)

Mea

nC

I=

0.4

7ca

ndid

uri

a,

0.8

IC(n

=6)

CI[

0.5

in67

%ca

ndid

uri

a

[10

4

‘‘C

andid

uri

asu

per

ior

or

equal

to10

4U

FC

/ml

asso

ciat

ed

wit

hri

skfa

ctors

may

pre

dic

t

invas

ive

candid

iasi

sin

crit

ical

lyil

lpat

ients

’’

Char

les

etal

.

[38

]

Med

ical

ICU

,

stay

[7

day

s;

pro

spec

tive

92

9W

eekly

1,6

96

(mea

n,

18.4

/

pat

ient)

:C

Ias

soci

ated

wit

h:

day

son

bro

ad-s

pec

trum

anti

bio

tics

[b=

0.0

1(0

.01–0.0

2)]

,

hem

atolo

gic

alm

alig

nan

cy

[b=

0.4

1(0

.09–0.7

3)]

,

candid

uri

a[b

=0.2

(0.0

9–0.3

1)]

‘‘S

ince

most

of

the

invas

ive

candid

iasi

sin

the

ICU

sett

ing

are

thought

tobe

subse

quen

tto

colo

niz

atio

n

inhig

h-r

isk

pat

ients

,

reduci

ng

anti

bio

tic

use

could

be

use

ful

inpre

ven

ting

fungal

infe

ctio

ns’

1437

Page 10: Candida colonization index and subsequent Didier Pittet ... · Candida spp. on mucosal surfaces injured by chemother-apy develops progressively and is responsible for fungal translocation

Ta

ble

2co

nti

nu

ed

Ref

eren

ceT

ype

of

pat

ient;

study

des

ign

Num

ber

of

pat

ients

Num

ber

of

invas

ive

candid

iasi

s

case

s

CI

monit

ori

ng

Num

ber

of

surv

eill

ance

cult

ure

s

Mai

nC

Ifi

ndin

gs

Auth

ors

’co

ncl

usi

on

Erg

inet

al.

[59

]M

ixed

ICU

,st

ay

[7

day

s;

pro

spec

tive

100

9(5

candid

emia

,

4uri

nar

y);

42

candid

uri

a

On

incl

usi

on,

then

wee

kly

1,6

91

(mea

n,

17/p

atie

nt)

CI[

0.2

,42

(42

%);

CI[

0.2

and

\0.5

,34

(34

%);

CI

C0.5

,8

(8%

)

Acc

ura

cyof

CI

C0.5

in

pre

dic

ting

invas

ive

candid

iasi

s:se

ns,

100

%;

spec

,64

%;

PP

V,

21

%;

NP

V,

100

%

‘‘C

andid

aco

loniz

atio

nan

d

Candid

aco

loniz

atio

nin

dex

may

be

use

das

use

ful

par

amet

ers

topre

dic

t

invas

ive

Candid

a

infe

ctio

ns’

Pro

phyl

axi

sst

udie

s(n

=6)

Lav

erdie

re

etal

.[6

0]

Neu

tropen

ia

(leu

kem

iaor

BM

T);

pro

spec

tive,

double

-bli

nded

,

random

ized

:

pro

phyla

xis

(fluco

naz

ole

,

400

mg/d

ay

ora

lly)

vs.

pla

cebo

266

41:

9/1

35

(6.7

%)

fluco

naz

ole

,

32/1

31

(24.4

%)

pla

cebo

(p\

0.0

01)

On

random

izat

ion,

aten

dof

pro

phyla

xis

1,9

04;

458

(21

%)

posi

tive

Colo

niz

atio

n;

(39–36

%)

fluco

naz

ole

,:

(37–73

%)

pla

cebo

(p\

0.0

001)

CI;

(0.1

8–0.1

6)

fluco

naz

ole

,

:(0

.18–0.3

9)

pla

cebo

(p\

0.0

01)

Acc

ura

cyof

CI

B0.2

5in

pre

dic

ting

ICat

bas

elin

e:

sens,

39

%;

spec

,82

%;

PP

V,

28

%;

NP

V,

88

%

At

end

of

pro

phyla

xis

:se

ns,

76

%;

spec

,69

%;

PP

V,

69

%;

NP

V,

94

%

‘‘F

luco

naz

ole

pre

ven

ted

and

reduce

dfu

ngal

colo

niz

atio

n

of

the

alim

enta

rytr

act

and

subse

quen

tin

vas

ive

fungal

infe

ctio

ns…

Inca

nce

r

pat

ients

,a

colo

niz

atio

n

index

B0.2

5at

the

init

iati

on

of

chem

oth

erap

ycl

earl

y

pre

dic

tsa

low

risk

of

invas

ive

fungal

infe

ctio

n’’

Gar

bin

oet

al.

[40]

Mix

edIC

U,

[2

day

s

mec

han

ical

ven

tila

tion

and

expec

ted

conti

nuat

ion

for

C72

h;

pro

spec

tive,

double

-bli

nded

random

ized

:

pro

phyla

xis

(fluco

naz

ole

,

100

mg/d

ayiv

)

vs.

pla

cebo

plu

s

sele

ctiv

e

dig

esti

ve

dec

onta

min

atio

n

(poly

myxin

B,

neo

myci

n,

van

com

yci

n)

204

6/1

03

(5.8

%)

fluco

naz

ole

,

16/1

01

(16

%)

pla

cebo

(p\

0.0

01)

Dai

lyN

ot

avai

lable

Colo

niz

atio

n:

29/5

5(5

3%

)

fluco

naz

ole

,40/5

1(7

8%

)

pla

cebo

(p=

0.0

1)

CI;

(0.2

6–0.1

3)

fluco

naz

ole

,

:(0

.26–0.5

0)

pla

cebo

(p\

0.0

01)

Mea

npre

-infe

ctio

nC

Iin

pat

ients

wit

hca

ndid

emia

(n=

10):

0.8

9

‘‘…

fluco

naz

ole

pro

phyla

xis

in

sele

cted

,hig

h-r

isk

crit

ical

ly

ill

pat

ients

dec

reas

esth

e

inci

den

ceof

Candid

a

infe

ctio

n,

inpar

ticu

lar,

candid

emia

’’

1438

Page 11: Candida colonization index and subsequent Didier Pittet ... · Candida spp. on mucosal surfaces injured by chemother-apy develops progressively and is responsible for fungal translocation

Ta

ble

2co

nti

nu

ed

Ref

eren

ceT

ype

of

pat

ient;

study

des

ign

Num

ber

of

pat

ients

Num

ber

of

invas

ive

candid

iasi

s

case

s

CI

monit

ori

ng

Num

ber

of

surv

eill

ance

cult

ure

s

Mai

nC

Ifi

ndin

gs

Auth

ors

’co

ncl

usi

on

Norm

and

etal

.

[61

]

Mix

ed

ICU

,[2

day

s

mec

han

ical

ven

tila

tion;

pro

spec

tive,

open

-lab

el,

nyst

atin

vs.

pla

cebo

98

0O

nra

ndom

izat

ion,

then

ever

y

3day

s

Not

avai

lable

Colo

niz

atio

n:

0/5

1nyst

atin

,

12/4

7(2

5%

)pla

cebo

(p\

0.0

1)

CI;

(0.1

–0.0

5)

nyst

atin

,:

(0.1

–0.2

5)

pla

cebo

(p\

0.0

5)

‘‘O

ral

nyst

atin

pro

phyla

xis

effi

cien

tly

pre

ven

ted

Candid

asp

p.

colo

niz

atio

nin

ICU

pat

ients

atlo

wri

skof

dev

elopin

gin

vas

ive

candid

iasi

s’’

Sen

net

al.

[46

]S

urg

ical

ICU

,

recu

rren

t

gas

troin

test

inal

per

fora

tion/

anas

tom

oti

c

leak

age

or

acute

nec

roti

zing

pan

crea

titi

s;

pro

spec

tive,

non-

com

par

ativ

e,

casp

ofu

ngin

pro

phyla

xis

19

1(6

–8

expec

ted

inth

ishig

h-

risk

gro

up

wit

hout

pro

phyla

xis

)

On

incl

usi

on,

then

twic

ein

wee

k1,

then

wee

kly

unti

len

dof

foll

ow

-up

Not

avai

lable

(med

ian,

4si

tes/

pat

ient

scre

ened

)

CI;

(0.5

–0.3

)duri

ng

pro

phyla

xis

(p=

0.0

3)

‘‘D

espit

eli

mit

atio

ns

such

asth

e

open

single

-cen

ter

non-

com

par

ativ

edes

ign

and

the

smal

lsa

mple

size

,th

e

obse

rvat

ions

of

this

pro

of-

of-

conce

pt

study

sugges

t

that

casp

ofu

ngin

may

be

effi

caci

ous

and

safe

for

pre

ven

tion

of

intr

a-

abdom

inal

candid

iasi

sin

surg

ical

pat

ients

wit

ha

hig

h-

risk

pro

file

’’

Gig

lio

etal

.

[62

]

Surg

ical

/tra

um

a

ICU

,[2

day

s

mec

han

ical

ven

tila

tion;

pro

spec

tive,

random

ized

,

open

-lab

el:

pro

phyla

xis

(ora

l

nyst

atin

,

39

1m

illi

on

U/d

ay)

vs.

pla

cebo

99

0O

nin

clusi

on,

then

ever

y3

day

s

unti

len

dof

foll

ow

-up

(day

15)

2,5

69;

746

(29

%)

posi

tive

Over

all:

CI;

(0.1

2–0.0

)

nyst

atin

,:

(0.2

–0.4

4)

pla

cebo

(p\

0.0

5)

Colo

niz

atio

nat

entr

y:

CI;

(0.1

–0.0

)nyst

atin

,:

(0.2

–0.4

2)

pla

cebo

(p\

0.0

5)

‘‘T

he

pre

sent

tria

lsh

ow

sth

at

nyst

atin

pre

-em

pti

ve

ther

apy

insu

rgic

al/t

raum

aIC

U

pat

ients

signifi

cantl

yre

duce

s

fungal

colo

niz

atio

n,

even

in

those

colo

niz

edat

adm

issi

on’’

Chen

etal

.[6

3]

Mix

edIC

U,

mec

han

ical

ven

tila

tion;

pro

spec

tive,

random

ized

,

open

-lab

el:

pro

phyla

xis

(ora

l

nyst

atin

,

39

1m

illi

on

U/d

ay)

vs.

pla

cebo

124

8:

3/6

0(0

.5%

)

nyst

atin

,5/6

4

(7.8

%)

pla

cebo

(p[

0.0

5)

On

incl

usi

on,

ever

y

3day

sunti

len

d

of

foll

ow

-up

(day

9)

Not

avai

lable

;874

posi

tive

CC

Iat

day

6:

0.1

9nyst

atin

,

0.3

9pla

cebo

(p\

0.0

5)

At

day

9:

0.0

nyst

atin

,0.4

5

pla

cebo

(p\

0.0

5)

Len

gth

of

ICU

stay

:

9.6

±3.5

day

snyst

atin

,

11.9

±6.3

day

spla

cebo

(p\

0.0

5)

‘‘N

yst

atin

mig

ht

reduce

the

colo

niz

atio

nby

Candid

a

alb

icans

and

was

asso

ciat

ed

wit

hsh

ort

erIC

Ust

ay’’

CR

PC

-rea

ctiv

epro

tein

,B

MT

bone

mar

row

tran

spla

nt,

MIC

Um

edic

alIC

U,

SIC

Usu

rgic

alIC

U,

sens

sensi

tivit

y,

spec

spec

ifici

ty,

PP

Vposi

tive

pre

dic

tive

val

ue,

NP

Vneg

ativ

epre

dic

tive

val

ue

1439

Page 12: Candida colonization index and subsequent Didier Pittet ... · Candida spp. on mucosal surfaces injured by chemother-apy develops progressively and is responsible for fungal translocation

Ta

ble

3U

seo

fth

eco

lon

izat

ion

index

(CI)

tog

uid

eth

ein

itia

tio

no

fem

pir

ical

anti

fun

gal

trea

tmen

t

Ref

eren

ceT

yp

eo

fp

atie

nt;

stud

yd

esig

nN

um

ber

of

pat

ien

tsN

um

ber

of

invas

ive

cand

idia

sis

case

s

CI

mo

nit

ori

ng

Nu

mb

ero

fsu

rvei

llan

cecu

ltu

res

Mai

nC

Ifi

nd

ing

sA

uth

ors

’co

ncl

usi

on

Inte

rven

tional

studie

s(n

=4

)D

ub

auet

al.

[57]

Su

rgic

alIC

U,

stay

or

anti

bio

tics

[7

day

so

r-

po

sto

per

ativ

efi

stu

laan

dC

RP

[1

00

mg

/ml;

pro

spec

tiv

e,o

pen

,n

on

-ra

nd

om

ized

:em

pir

ical

anti

fun

gal

trea

tmen

tfo

rC

I[

0.5

89

1/3

5w

ith

CI[

0.5

rece

ivin

gem

pir

ical

anti

fun

gal

trea

tmen

t

On

incl

usi

on

,th

enw

eek

ly2

,238

CI[

0.5

:w

eek

1,

6%

;w

eek

2,

25

%;

wee

k3

,4

0%

;w

eek

4,

55

%;

wee

k[

4,

59

%C

I;

rapid

lyaf

ter

star

to

fem

pir

ical

anti

fun

gal

trea

tmen

tin

34

/35

pat

ien

ts

‘‘A

trea

tmen

tw

asst

arte

dw

hen

ever

aco

lon

izat

ion

ind

ex[

0.5

was

asso

ciat

edw

ith

sev

ere

clin

ical

or

bio

log

ical

sig

ns.

Th

isin

vo

lved

anin

crea

seo

fth

eex

pen

seo

fan

tifu

ngal

dru

gs.

Th

ep

ote

nti

alb

enefi

tsco

uld

no

tb

eev

aluat

edfr

om

our

study’’

Pia

rro

ux

etal

.[6

4]

Su

rgic

alIC

U,

stay

C5

day

s;p

rosp

ecti

ve,

op

en,

no

n-

ran

do

miz

ed:

empir

ical

anti

fun

gal

trea

tmen

tfo

rC

CI[

0.4

47

8O

ver

all

IC:

18

[3.8

%;

2/4

55

(7.0

%)

inh

isto

rica

lco

ntr

ols

]IC

U-a

cqu

ired

:0

[10

/45

5(2

.2%

)in

his

tori

cal

con

tro

ls;

p\

0.0

01

)

On

incl

usi

on

,th

enw

eek

ly6

,682

Wit

hem

pir

ical

trea

tmen

t:C

CI[

0.4

,9

6/1

17;

CC

I\

0.4

and

CI

C0

.5,

11

/66

;C

CI\

0.4

and

CI\

0.5

,5

/23

0*

16

0co

mp

lete

my

colo

gic

alsc

reen

ing

san

d1

0p

reem

pti

ve

trea

tmen

tsn

eed

edto

pre

ven

tat

leas

to

ne

pro

ven

SIC

U-a

cqu

ired

can

did

iasi

s

‘‘P

reem

pti

ve

trea

tmen

to

fh

igh

lyco

lon

ized

pat

ien

tsm

ayef

fici

entl

yp

rev

ent

SIC

U-a

cquir

edpro

ven

candid

iasi

s.O

ur

resu

lts

dem

on

stra

teth

efe

asib

ilit

yan

db

enefi

tso

fim

ple

men

tin

ga

larg

esy

stem

atic

myco

logic

alsc

reen

ing

of

SIC

Up

atie

nts

’’E

ren

etal

.[6

5]

Mix

edIC

U,

incl

usi

on

crit

eria

no

tsp

ecifi

ed;

pro

spec

tiv

eo

bse

rvat

ion

al,

inte

rven

tio

nn

ot

spec

ified

(anti

fun

gal

trea

tmen

tfo

rC

I[

0.5

?)

37

0N

ot

spec

ified

19

12

6(7

0%

)w

ith

C.

alb

ica

ns

colo

niz

atio

nC

IC

0.5

in7

(5w

ith

IgM

,Ig

Gp

osi

tiv

ity

)C

I\

0.5

in1

9(3

/12

test

edw

ith

IgM

,Ig

Gp

osi

tiv

ity

)Ig

M,

IgG

fou

nd

in0

/7p

atie

nts

test

edw

ith

out

colo

niz

atio

n,

ou

to

f1

1

‘‘…

foll

ow

-up

of

the

ICU

pat

ien

tsin

term

so

fC

.a

lbic

ans

CI

and

IgM

wo

uld

be

effe

ctiv

efo

rth

ep

rev

enti

on

of

seri

ou

sC

an

did

ain

fect

ion

s’’

Wan

get

al.

[66]

5m

ixed

ICU

s,A

PA

CH

Esc

ore

[1

0;

pro

spec

tiv

era

nd

om

ized

:em

pir

ical

anti

fun

gal

trea

tmen

tfo

rC

CI

C0

.4(i

nte

rven

tio

ng

rou

p)

or

(co

ntr

ol

gro

up

)

110

No

tsp

ecifi

edN

ot

spec

ified

Not

avai

lable

;5

75

po

siti

ve

An

tifu

ng

altr

eatm

ent

for

sep

sis

star

ted

at0

.9±

0.7

day

sin

CC

IC

0.4

,3

.8±

3.6

day

sin

con

tro

l(p

\0

.05)

‘‘A

pp

lica

tio

no

fC

CI

may

enh

ance

the

accu

racy

of

tim

ely

pre

emp

tiv

etr

eatm

ent

for

invas

ive

candid

iasi

san

dfa

cili

tate

the

coll

ecti

on

of

epid

emio

log

ical

dat

ao

fC

an

did

ain

crit

ical

lyil

lp

atie

nts

’’

Sen

sse

nsi

tiv

ity

,sp

ecsp

ecifi

city

,P

PV

po

siti

ve

pre

dic

tive

val

ue,

NP

Vn

egat

ive

pre

dic

tiv

ev

alu

e

1440

Page 13: Candida colonization index and subsequent Didier Pittet ... · Candida spp. on mucosal surfaces injured by chemother-apy develops progressively and is responsible for fungal translocation

currently used widely among non-immunocompromisedcritically ill patients.

In a prospective study of 37 critically ill patients, Erenet al. [65] found a correlation between the CI and thepresence of C. albicans antibodies. Among 26 patientswith C. albicans colonization, immunoglobulin M (IgM)and IgG were found in 5/7 (71 %) patients with CIsgreater than 0.5, compared with only 3/12 (25 %) patientswith CIs less than 0.5 in whom serum could be tested(total, n = 19) and 0/7 non-colonized patients in whomserum could be tested (total, n = 11) [65]. The authorsstated, ‘‘in the follow-up of the patients, no candidemiadeveloped and this was thought to be due to the pre-ventive measures which were taken especially in ICUpatients with CI [ 0.5,’’ suggesting that empirical anti-fungal treatment was given to patients with CIs greaterthan 0.5.

Comparison of the colonization index with otherpredictive tools

The accuracy of the CI has been compared with that ofother surrogate markers of invasive candidiasis, such asthe Candida score, predictive rules, and, more recently,beta-glucan (Table 4) [44, 67–72]. In a prospective studyof 89 high-risk surgical ICU patients (61 recurrent gas-trointestinal tract perforation; 25 severe acutepancreatitis) in whom 29 developed a non-candidemicinvasive candidiasis, Tissot el al. showed that two con-secutive beta-glucan serum levels above 80 pg/mlpredicted early the development of infection with a sen-sitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and anegative predictive value of 65, 78, 68 and 77 %,respectively [44]. Similarly, a previous study by Posteraroet al. [70] in a cohort of medical and surgical critically illpatients staying more than 5 days and developing a severesepsis, in whom beta-glucan was higher than 80 pg/ml,showed a sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value,and a negative predictive value of 93, 94, 72, and 99 %,respectively for the early detection of invasive candidiasis(16 episodes, including 13 candidemia). Overall, theaccuracy of CI is lower than other methods for the earlydetection of patients at higher risk of infection. Never-theless, the usefulness of beta-glucan to guide empiricalantifungal treatment remains to be determined.

Three industry-sponsored studies failed to demonstratethe clinical usefulness of predictive rules combining var-ious risk factors. A predictive rule was used in amulticenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-con-trolled trial comparing caspofungin vs. placebo asantifungal prophylaxis or preemptive treatment in 222critically ill patients [73]. The rule combined ICU stay forat least 3 days, mechanical ventilation, exposure to

antibiotics, the presence of a central line, together with atleast one additional risk factor among the following: par-enteral nutrition, dialysis, surgery, pancreatitis, systemicsteroids, or other immune suppressive agents. The inci-dence of invasive candidiasis was 16.7 % (14/84) vs.9.8 % (10/102) in patients receiving placebo and caspo-fungin, respectively (p = 0.14). When baseline infectionswere included, it was 30.4 % (31/102) and 18.8 % (22/117), for patients receiving preemptive placebo and ca-spofungin, respectively (p = 0.04). Safety, length of ICUstay, antifungal use, and mortality did not differ. Theauthors concluded that caspofungin prophylaxis was safewith a non-significant trend to reduce invasive candidiasis,and that the preemptive therapy approach deserves furtherstudy. Two recent and currently unpublished studiesattempt to use clinical predictive rules to guide empiricalantifungal treatment. The first, entitled ‘‘Pilot FeasibilityStudy With Patients Who at High Risk For DevelopingInvasive Candidiasis in a Critical Care Setting (MK-0991-067 AM1’’ (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01045798)and conducted by the Mycoses Study Group, was termi-nated because of a low recruitment rate after the inclusionof only 15 patients and generation of uninterpretable data.Preliminary results of the second study, entitled ‘‘A Studyto Evaluate Pre-emptive Treatment for Invasive Candidi-asis in High Risk Surgical Subjects (INTENSE)’’(ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01122368), showed ahigh proportion of invasive candidiasis at study entry;independent experts considered, however, that the major-ity of salvage antifungal treatments were unjustified.Globally, the proportion of invasive candidiasis develop-ing in the group receiving preemptive antifungal treatmentwas not different from that of the group receiving placebo,but the number of patients excluded from the analysisresulted in an underpowered analysis.

These outcomes illustrate a well-known paradigm ofaccuracy. The use of the most sensitive test potentiallyincreases the number of patients who are uselessly treatedempirically. In contrast, the use of the most specific testpotentially increases the number of patients who do notreceive empirical antifungal treatment and in whom latetreatment could be associated with a worse outcome.

An ongoing prospective multicenter, double blind,randomized-controlled French trial (EMPIRICUS) iscurrently recruiting critically ill patients at risk of inva-sive candidiasis. Patients mechanically ventilated formore than 4 days with sepsis of unknown origin and withat least one extra-digestive fungal colonization site andmultiple organ failure are eligible for randomization toreceive empirical micafungin or a placebo. This studyincludes prospective determination of the CI among itssecondary endpoints and may help to develop guidelinesfor treating non-immunocompromised patients with fun-gal colonization multiple organ failure and sepsis ofunknown origin [74].

1441

Page 14: Candida colonization index and subsequent Didier Pittet ... · Candida spp. on mucosal surfaces injured by chemother-apy develops progressively and is responsible for fungal translocation

Ta

ble

4C

om

par

iso

no

fth

eco

lon

izat

ion

ind

ex(C

I)w

ith

oth

erm

ark

ers

for

the

pre

dic

tio

no

fin

vas

ive

can

did

iasi

s

Ref

eren

ces

Ty

pe

of

pat

ien

t;st

ud

yd

esig

nN

um

ber

of

pat

ien

tsN

um

ber

of

inv

asiv

eca

nd

idia

sis

CI

mo

nit

ori

ng

Per

form

ance

of

CI

Per

form

ance

of

com

par

ato

rsA

uth

ors

’co

ncl

usi

on

Leo

net

al.

[67]

36

mix

edIC

Us,

stay

C7

day

s;p

rosp

ecti

ve,

ob

serv

atio

nal

coh

ort

1,1

07

58

;1

8/2

40

inw

ho

mB

Gco

uld

be

per

form

ed

At

incl

usi

on

,th

enw

eek

ly(4

,19

8cu

ltu

res)

89

2w

ith

Ca

nd

ida

spp

.co

lon

izat

ion

or

inv

asiv

eca

nd

idia

sis

Dev

elo

pm

ent

of

inv

asiv

eca

nd

idia

sis:

CI\

0.5

,1

6/4

11

(3.9

%);

CI

C0

.5,

42

/48

1(8

.7%

)S

ens,

72

%;

spec

,4

7%

;P

PV

,9

%;

NP

V,

96

%;

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C,

0.6

33

20

.8n

eed

edto

trea

tto

avo

ido

ne

epis

od

eo

fin

vas

ive

can

did

iasi

s

89

2w

ith

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nd

ida

spp

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lon

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ion

or

inv

asiv

eca

nd

idia

sis

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elo

pm

ent

of

inv

asiv

eca

nd

idia

sis:

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nd

ida

sco

re\

3,

13

/56

5(2

.3%

);C

an

did

asc

ore

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5/3

27

(13

.8%

)S

ens,

78

%;

spec

,6

6%

;P

PV

,1

4%

;N

PV

,9

8%

;A

UC

,0

.77

48

.7n

eed

edto

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tto

avo

ido

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epis

od

eo

fin

vas

ive

can

did

iasi

s

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this

coh

ort

of

colo

niz

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atie

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stay

ing

[7

day

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ith

aC

S\

3an

dn

ot

rece

ivin

gan

tifu

ng

altr

eatm

ent,

the

rate

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ICw

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5%

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her

efo

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able

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Ca

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itic

ally

ill

pat

ien

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asa

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nd

ida

sco

re\

0.3

’’

Ell

iset

al.

[ 68]

Hem

ato

log

ical

pat

ien

tsw

ith

feb

rile

neu

tro

pen

iaan

d[

3d

ays

bro

ad-

spec

tru

man

tib

ioti

cs;

pro

spec

tiv

e,u

sefu

lnes

so

fse

rial

anal

ysi

sfo

rm

ann

ans/

anti

-m

ann

ans,

b-g

luca

ns

86

12

(14

%)

Tw

ice

aw

eek

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C0

.5in

52

/86

(60

%),

8/9

(89

%)

ICA

ccu

racy

no

td

eter

min

ed

Man

nan

s/an

ti-m

ann

ans

(33

pat

ien

ts(2

con

secu

tiv

ep

osi

tiv

ete

sts)

:se

ns,

73

%;

spec

,8

0%

;P

PV

,0

.36

;N

PV

,0

.95

Po

siti

ve

corr

elat

ion

of

inv

asiv

eca

nd

idia

sis

wit

hb-

glu

can

s(r

=0

.28

,p

=0

.01

)

‘‘S

eria

las

say

sfo

rm

ann

ans

and

anti

-m

ann

ans

inp

atie

nts

atri

skfo

rin

vas

ive

can

did

iasi

sm

ayu

sefu

lly

con

trib

ute

toth

em

anag

emen

to

fsu

chp

atie

nts

’’

Cag

gia

no

etal

.[6

9]

Neu

rolo

gic

alIC

U,

stay

C7

day

s;p

rosp

ecti

ve,

lin

kb

etw

een

colo

niz

atio

nan

din

vas

ive

can

did

iasi

s

51

3ca

nd

idem

iaA

tad

mis

sio

n,

then

ever

y3

day

s(t

od

ay1

5)

Co

lon

izat

ion

:7

6%

atst

ud

yen

try

,9

2%

on

day

15

CI

C0

.5:

16

.6%

atst

ud

yen

try

,7

5%

on

day

15

(all

IC)

CC

I:0

.34

atst

ud

yen

try

,0

.60

on

day

15

No

man

nan

/an

ti-m

ann

and

etec

ted

inp

atie

nts

wit

ho

ut

can

did

emia

Man

nan

s:se

ns,

66

.6%

;sp

ec,

10

0%

An

ti-m

ann

ans:

sen

s,1

00

%;

spec

,1

00

%

‘‘T

hu

s,o

ur

exp

erie

nce

sug

ges

tsth

atm

on

ito

rin

gC

Ico

uld

be

hel

pfu

lin

iden

tify

ing

pat

ien

tsat

risk

of

inv

asiv

efu

ng

alin

fect

ion

.In

add

itio

n,

com

ple

men

tin

gth

isw

ith

anti

-Ca

nd

ida

anti

bo

die

sd

etec

tio

nin

imm

un

oco

mp

eten

tp

atie

nts

wit

hC

IC

0.5

incr

ease

sth

ep

osi

tiv

ep

red

icti

vit

yfo

rin

fect

ion

allo

win

gan

earl

yd

iag

no

sis

of

can

did

emia

’’

1442

Page 15: Candida colonization index and subsequent Didier Pittet ... · Candida spp. on mucosal surfaces injured by chemother-apy develops progressively and is responsible for fungal translocation

Ta

ble

4co

nti

nu

ed

Ref

eren

ces

Ty

pe

of

pat

ien

t;st

ud

yd

esig

nN

um

ber

of

pat

ien

tsN

um

ber

of

inv

asiv

eca

nd

idia

sis

CI

mo

nit

ori

ng

Per

form

ance

of

CI

Per

form

ance

of

com

par

ato

rsA

uth

ors

’co

ncl

usi

on

Po

ster

aro

etal

.[7

0]

Mix

edIC

U,

stay

C5

day

s;p

rosp

ecti

ve,

sin

gle

-ce

nte

r,o

bse

rvat

ion

al:

dia

gn

ost

icv

alu

eo

fB

Gas

say

,C

an

did

asc

ore

,C

I

95

16

(14

inv

asiv

eca

nd

idia

sis)

At

entr

y,

day

3,

and

then

wee

kly

CI

C0

.5:

ov

eral

l,3

5%

;IC

,5

6%

;n

oIC

,3

0%

(p=

0.0

4)

Sen

s,6

4%

;sp

ec,

70

%;

PP

V,

27

%;

NP

V,

92

%;

AU

C,

0.6

3(0

.57

–0

.79

)

Ca

nd

ida

sco

reC

3:

ov

eral

l,2

2%

;IC

,7

5%

;n

oIC

,1

1%

(p\

0.0

01

).S

ens,

86

%;

spec

,8

7%

;P

PV

,5

7%

;N

PV

,9

7%

;A

UC

,0

.80

(0.6

9–

0.9

2)

BG

po

siti

vit

y:

ov

eral

l,2

1%

;IC

,9

4%

;n

oIC

,6

%(p

\0

.00

1).

Sen

s,9

4%

;sp

ec,

94

%;

PP

V,

75

%;

NP

V,

99

%;

AU

C,

0.9

8(0

.92

–1

.00

)C

an

did

asc

ore

C3

and

BG

po

siti

vit

y:

sen

s,1

00

%;

spec

,8

4%

;P

PV

,5

2%

;N

PV

,1

00

%

‘‘A

sin

gle

-po

int

BG

assa

yb

ased

on

ab

loo

dsa

mp

led

raw

nat

the

sep

sis

on

set,

alo

ne

or

inco

mb

inat

ion

wit

hC

an

did

asc

ore

,m

ayg

uid

eth

ed

ecis

ion

tost

art

anti

fun

gal

ther

apy

earl

yin

pat

ien

tsat

risk

for

Ca

nd

ida

infe

ctio

n’’

Pem

anet

al.

[71]

6m

ixed

ICU

,h

igh

risk

of

inv

asiv

eca

nd

idia

sisa

;p

rosp

ecti

ve,

use

fuln

ess

of

CA

GT

A

53

0N

ot

spec

ified

CC

IC

0.4

:2

3/5

3(4

3%

)at

stu

dy

entr

y,

41

/53

(77

%)

aten

do

fst

ud

y

CA

GT

Ap

osi

tiv

ity

:2

2/5

3(4

2%

)at

stu

dy

entr

y,

47

/53

(90

%)

aten

do

fst

ud

y

‘‘T

his

stu

dy

iden

tifi

edp

rev

iou

ssu

rger

yas

the

pri

nci

pal

clin

ical

fact

or

asso

ciat

edw

ith

CA

GT

A-p

osi

tiv

ere

sult

s(s

erolo

gic

ally

pro

ven

can

did

iasi

s)an

dem

ph

asis

esth

eu

tili

tyo

fth

isp

rom

isin

gte

chn

iqu

e,w

hic

hw

asn

ot

infl

uen

ced

by

hig

hC

an

did

aco

lon

izat

ion

or

anti

fun

gal

trea

tmen

t’’

Hal

let

al.

[72]

Mix

edIC

U,

sev

ere

acu

tep

ancr

eati

tis;

retr

osp

ecti

ve,

dia

gn

ost

icv

alu

eo

fB

Gas

say

,C

an

did

asc

ore

,C

I

10

11

8(5

die

d)

No

tsp

ecifi

edC

olo

niz

atio

n:

16

/18

(89

%)

IC,

37

/83

(45

%)

no

IC(p

=0

.00

06

).C

olo

niz

atio

nfo

rIC

:O

R,

4.3

3(1

.07

–1

7.5

);p

=0

.04

CI

C0

.5:

sen

s,6

7%

;sp

ec,

79

%;

PP

V,

43

%;

NP

V,

91

%;

AU

C,

0.7

9(0

.69

–0

.87

)

Ca

nd

ida

sco

re:

sen

s,2

3%

;sp

ec,8

5%

;P

PV

,3

9%

;N

PV

,7

2%

;A

UC

,0

.62

(0.5

2–

0.7

1)

Pre

dic

tiv

eru

leb:

sen

s,6

1%

;sp

ec,

49

%;

PP

V,

21

%;

NP

V,

85

%;

AU

C,

0.5

9(0

.49

–0

.69

)

‘‘In

this

stu

dy

the

Ca

nd

ida

colo

nis

atio

nin

dex

sco

rew

asth

em

ost

accu

rate

and

dis

crim

inat

ive

test

atid

enti

fyin

gw

hic

hp

atie

nts

wit

hse

ver

eac

ute

pan

crea

titi

sar

eat

risk

of

dev

elo

pin

gca

nd

idal

infe

ctio

n.

Ho

wev

erit

slo

wse

nsi

tiv

ity

may

lim

itit

scl

inic

aluse

fuln

ess’

1443

Page 16: Candida colonization index and subsequent Didier Pittet ... · Candida spp. on mucosal surfaces injured by chemother-apy develops progressively and is responsible for fungal translocation

The CI and other predictive tools (the Candida scoreand predictive rules) have been specifically developed byusing their positive predictive value for the early identi-fication of high-risk patients who will develop invasivecandidiasis. Nevertheless, it is relevant to note that thenegative predictive values of the CI and all other surro-gate markers of invasive candidiasis are much higher thantheir positive predictive values [21]. Among them, onlythe negative predictive value of the Candida score hasbeen validated in a multicenter prospective clinical trial[75].

Advantages and pitfalls of the use of colonizationindex

To summarize the data reviewed on the use of the CI, itsmain advantages are that it has been successfully used tocharacterize colonization dynamics, assess the signifi-cance of candiduria, and to evaluate the impact ofantifungal prophylaxis. A low CI has a high negativepredictive value for the further development of invasivecandidiasis. Among the pitfalls, it should be emphasizedthat it is work-intensive with a limited bedside practica-bility, that only limited data are available for nonsurgicalpatients, and its cost-effectiveness and usefulness for themanagement of critically ill patients remain to be provenin large prospective clinical trials.

Further perspectives

These observations may pave the way for a new paradigmin the research agenda of the early diagnosis of invasivecandidiasis and take advantage of the disease patho-physiology characterized by a 7–10-day delay betweenexposure to risk factors and infection. We propose astepwise approach to optimize the accuracy of the CI andother clinical tools (Fig. 3).

Provided that preliminary results can be confirmed inlarger cohorts of patients [76], preliminary stratificationaccording to specific genetic polymorphisms could beused as a preliminary step to increase the accuracy ofsubsequent steps. The second step is to take advantage ofthe high negative predictive values of the CI, Candidascore, and/or predictive rules. This strategy will reducethe currently large proportion of useless antifungal treat-ments, frequently started for nonobjective emotionalreasons. The enhanced intrinsic risk of invasive candidi-asis in patients with increased risk identified after thissecond step may further improve the accuracy of bio-markers, such as mannan/anti-mannan antibodies and/orb-glucan, applied in the third step. This approach shouldenhance the ability to identify patients who will trulyT

ab

le4

con

tin

ued

Ref

eren

ces

Ty

pe

of

pat

ien

t;st

ud

yd

esig

nN

um

ber

of

pat

ien

tsN

um

ber

of

inv

asiv

eca

nd

idia

sis

CI

mo

nit

ori

ng

Per

form

ance

of

CI

Per

form

ance

of

com

par

ato

rsA

uth

ors

’co

ncl

usi

on

Tis

sot

etal

.[4

4]

Su

rgic

alIC

U,

recu

rren

tg

astr

oin

test

inal

per

fora

tio

n/

anas

tom

oti

cle

akag

eo

rac

ute

nec

roti

zin

gp

ancr

eati

tis;

pro

spec

tiv

e,ac

cura

cyo

fB

Gan

tig

enem

iafo

rd

iag

no

sis

of

intr

a-ab

do

min

alca

nd

idia

sis

89

2O

nad

mis

sio

n,

then

twic

ea

wee

k

CI

C0

.5:

sen

s,2

6%

;sp

ec,

76

%;

PP

V,

35

%;

NP

V,

67

%;

AU

C,

0.6

7C

CI

C0

.4:

sen

s,1

4%

;sp

ec,

77

%;

PP

V,

23

%;

NP

V,

65

%;

AU

C,

0.4

3

BG

[8

0p

g/m

l(2

9):

sen

s,6

6%

;sp

ec,

83

%;

PP

V,

73

%;

NP

V,

78

%;

AU

C,

0.7

9C

an

did

asc

ore

C3

:se

ns,

86

%;

spec

,5

0%

;P

PV

,5

4%

;N

PV

,8

4%

;A

UC

,0

.61

‘‘B

Gan

tig

enem

iais

sup

erio

rto

Ca

nd

ida

sco

rean

dco

lon

izat

ion

ind

exes

and

anti

cip

ates

dia

gn

osi

so

fb

loo

dcu

ltu

re-n

egat

ive

intr

a-ab

do

min

alca

nd

idia

sis’

Sen

sse

nsi

tiv

ity

,S

pec

spec

ifici

ty,

PP

Vp

osi

tiv

ep

red

icti

ve

val

ue,

NP

Vn

egat

ive

pre

dic

tiv

ev

alu

e,A

UC

area

un

der

the

rece

iver

op

erat

ing

char

acte

rist

iccu

rve,

CA

GT

AC

an

did

aa

lbic

an

sg

erm

tub

ean

tib

od

ya

(1)

Acu

tep

ancr

eati

tis

wit

h[

7d

ays

evo

luti

on

,(2

)p

rolo

ng

ed([

14

day

s)IC

Ust

ayan

dC

3ri

skfa

cto

rs(d

iab

etes

mel

litu

s,ex

trar

enal

dep

ura

tio

n,

par

ente

ral

nu

trit

ion

,[7

day

sb

road

-sp

ectr

um

anti

bio

tic

ther

apy

,m

ajo

rab

do

min

alsu

rger

y),

(3)

liv

ertr

ansp

lan

tati

on

,(4

)n

eutr

op

enia

or

bo

ne

mar

row

tran

spla

nta

tio

n,

or

(5)

hig

hC

AG

TA

b[7

3]

1444

Page 17: Candida colonization index and subsequent Didier Pittet ... · Candida spp. on mucosal surfaces injured by chemother-apy develops progressively and is responsible for fungal translocation

benefit from early antifungal treatment and reduceunnecessary overexposure to antifungal agents in patientswith a documented limited risk of infection.

Moreover, the high negative predictive value of thepredictive tools (CI, Candida score, and predictive rules)for the further development of an invasive candidiasismay allow one to stop empirical antifungal treatmentpossibly prescribed before evaluating the patient accord-ing to the proposed stepwise approach.

Conclusion

The development of the CI has enabled better appreciationof the dynamics of Candida colonization in patients athigh risk of invasive candidiasis. It can still be used, as it isin many institutions, for the early detection of patients athigh risk of invasive candidiasis and to guide empirical

antifungal treatment. Continued development and execu-tion of clinical trials in this difficult field are important.Until further progress can be achieved with new clinicalstudies of specific biomarkers involving larger patientcohorts, 20 years after its description, the CI remains oneof the best methods of characterizing the dynamics ofCandida colonization and identifying patients at very lowor increasing risk of invasive candidiasis.

Acknowledgments PE received research grants and/or educationalgrants and/or speaker’s honoraria and/or consultant’s honorariafrom (in alphabetic order): Astellas, Merck, Sharp & Dohme-Chi-bret, and Pfizer.

Conflicts of interest DP declares no disclosure of potentialconflicts of interest regarding their contribution to this study.

Open Access This article is distributed under the terms of the

Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial License which permits

any noncommercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium,

provided the original author(s) and the source are credited.

Fig. 3 Proposed study designs to select high-risk patients whowould truly benefit from early empirical antifungal treatment. First,patients should be stratified according to pathophysiologicalcharacteristics specific to invasive candidiasis (i.e., immunocom-promised individuals, after digestive surgery, other critically illpatients). The three-step approach: In a first optional step, increasedintrinsic risk of invasive candidiasis is identified by specific geneticpolymorphisms related to innate immunity. In the second step,

patients at low objective risk of invasive candidiasis are ruled outby using the high negative predictive values of current risk-assessment strategies (CI, Candida score, peritonitis score, predic-tive rule). In the third step, empirical antifungal treatment is startedearly in high-risk patients identified by increased biomarkersvalues, such as beta-glucan performed only in patients retained bywho met criteria outlined in previous steps. A simplified approachrestricted to steps two and three may be also of potential interest

1445

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