An outbreak of Candida parapsilosis fungemia among preterm infants.

In this article, we describe the first outbreak of Candida parapsilosis fungemia in our hospital. We examined a cluster of four nosocomial cases of C. parapsilosis fungemia that occurred in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) of the Affiliated Xingtai People's Hospital of Hebei Medical University over a two-week period. We ascertained patient parameters including clinical characteristics, blood and sputum cultures, and drug sensitivity test results. Cultures from eight blood samples obtained from the four infected preterm infants showed identical characteristics and were identified as C. parapsilosis. In order to determine the infection-related factors and to control the spread of the infection among the population, we immediately initiated the emergency plan. All four of the preterm infants recovered from the infection; there were no deaths. Outbreaks of C. parapsilosis, mostly involving preterm infants of very low birth weight or extremely low birth weight, can and do occur in NICUs. Cultures prepared using multiple samples taken from different patients contribute to a more definitive diagnosis. Established measures that control and prevent the infection, as well as effective and comprehensive treatments, can lead to a favorable outcome. That is to say, improving both disinfection and isolation, as well as interrupting the pathway of transmission, is the key to controlling the spread of infection.