Abstract
BACKGROUND: Candida species is the third commonest cause of sepsis among neonates. Colonization by Candida is a predictor for candidemia among preterm neonates. OBJECTIVES: To determine prevalence of early Candida colonization and early outcome among colonized preterm neonates admitted to Mulago hospital Special Care Unit. METHODS: A prospective observational cohort was conducted between December 2008 and April 2009. Preterm neonates aged >72 hours and less than one week were screened for Candida colonization of the groin, oral pharynx and rectum using CHROMagar. Colonized neonates were followed up for 14 days. Blood cultures were done for those with signs of septicaemia. The Fisher's exact tests and logistic regression were conducted for factors associated with colonization and mortality among colonized neonates. P values of < 0.05 were considered significant and confidence interval of 95% was used. RESULTS: Candida colonization occurred in 50/213 (23.5%) neonates. Gestational age ≤ 30 weeks was the only factor independently associated with colonization (p = 0.005). Of the colonized 14/46 (30.4%) died and 13/46 (28.3%) developed mucocutaneous candidiasis. No candidemia was identified. Multiple site colonization was independently associated with mortality (p=0.035). CONCLUSION: The consequence of high colonization observed in this study needs to be further elucidated in Uganda.