Should we treat asymptomatic candiduria?

This is a common scenario among our hospitalized patients with indwelling catheters, prior antibiotic therapy or diabetes mellitus who seem to have no clinical signs of infection. Fortunately, candidemia from urinary sources appears uncommon to rare, with up to nearly ½ of patients clearing their candiduria with removal of the indwelling catheter alone (1). The Infectious Diseases Society of America guidelines do not recommended treatment of asymptomatic candiduria unless the patient belongs to a group at high risk of dissemination, such as severely immunosuppressed or neutropenic patients, infants with low birth weight, and patients who will undergo urologic manipulation (2).  Supporting such recommendation is a retrospective long-term follow-up of patients with candiduria demonstrating no significant improvement in rates of recurrences of candiduria or candidemia with treatment (3).  Fluconazole is usually considered the first-line agent of choice when treatment is indicated.  

1. Kauffman CA. Candiduria. Clin Infect Dis 2005;41:S371-6.

2. Pappas PG, Kauffman CA, Andes D, et al. Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Management of Candidiasis: 2009 Update by the Infectious Diseases Society of America. Clin Infect Dis 2009; 48:503–35.

3. Revankar SG, Hasan MS, Revankar VS, et al. Long-term follow-up of patients with candiduria. Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis 2011;30:137-140.

Should we treat asymptomatic candiduria?

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