Abstract
Objective
To determine the incidence ofMalassezia furfur-related colonization and infection of central venous catheters.
Design
Prospective clinical study.
Setting
A paediatric intensive care unit at a University Hospital.
Patients
66 newborns with central venous catheters for parenteral nutrition including lipid emulsions (Intralipid®).
Methods
When a central venous catheter was removed, it was rinsed with 1 ml of physiological saline, transported at ambient temperature to the clinical laboratory and cultured on Dixon's medium. The tip of the central venous catheter was used for a bacteriological study using Maki's technique. In case of suspected sepsis, blood cultures were obtained using an Isolator® tube.
Results
74 central venous catheters were included: mean duration of use of a central venous catheters and infusions of lipid emulsion (Intralipid®) were 19.3±10 days and 8.6±8 days respectively. Only 2 central venous catheters (2.7%) were colonized byMalassezia furfur: (Mf) one in an asymptomatic newborn, and the other in an infected newborn with signs of sepsis, who most probably died at 4 months of age from refractory hypoxia due to pulmonary hypoplasia, but not from Mf sepsis.
Conclusions
The incidence ofMalassezia furfur-related colonization of central venous catheters appears to be low but not negligible, which warrants the use of specific culture techniques.
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Additional information
This study was partially supported by a clinical research pilot study grant from INSERM France (91CN52)
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Sizun, J., Karangwa, A., Giroux, J.D. et al. Malassezia furfur-related colonization and infection of central venous catheters. Intensive Care Med 20, 496–499 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01711902
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01711902