Infection control: opportunistic fungal infections--the increasing importance of Candida species.

Candida spp are clearly among the most important of the opportunistic fungal pathogens that cause nosocomial infections. Given the increasing incidence, high attributable mortality and excess length of stay associated with nosocomial candidemia, it is imperative that more effective preventive, diagnostic and therapeutic measures be developed to deal with this emerging group of pathogens. Implicit in these issues is the need for an increased understanding of the epidemiology of nosocomial candidiasis. The development of new epidemiologic typing methods provides useful tools that can assist in clinical and epidemiologic investigation. These studies are essential to the rational development of effective measures to prevent and to control nosocomial infections caused by Candida spp.