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Introduction:Candida is an important cause of blood stream infections (BSI). It ranks fourth in the United States and seventh in Europe. It is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in critically ill patients. There is an epidemiological shift from a predominance of Candida albicans to non albicans Candida species in recent decades. Speciation of Candida can help in better approach towards outcome of the patients and to know the intrinsic resistance of various Candida species to antifungal agents. Objectives: To determine the epidemiological profile of Candida infection in septicemic patients and to identify the Candida species isolated. Materials and Methods: A hospital based descriptive study was conducted over a period of 2 years in a tertiary care centre. Candida was isolated in blood culture from 54 patients. Candida isolates were identified to the species level, using both conventional and automated techniques. Results: The most common Candida species isolated were C.parapsilosis complex, C.tropicalis, C.albicans, C.krusei, C.glabrata, C.haemulonii, C.firmetaria and C.guillermondii var membranifaciens. Significant risk factors for candidemia includes HIV/AIDS, diabetes, antibiotic therapy, chemotherapy, presence of intravascular catheters, malignancy, surgery, parenteral nutrition. 51.85% of the patients received antifungal therapy with Fluconazole (71.43%) being the most common treatment option which is followed by Voriconazole (10.71%) and Amphotericin B (7.14%). Conclusion:Candidemia is a significant cause of mortality with C. parapsilosis and C. tropicalis being the predominant pathogens. This study shows a significant epidemiological shift to higher isolation of non albicans Candida species.

Staphylococcus aureus is a major pathogen causing bacteraemia, pneumonia, skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs), and osteomyelitis. Over the past 50 years, it has acquired resistance to antimicrobials including the penicillinase-resistant ones like methicillin. Rapid identification and susceptibility testing are mandatory to prevent further dissemination of MRSA and to provide effective antimicrobial treatment. Hence, methods used to detect MRSA should be rapid with high sensitivity and specificity.1) To compare various phenotypic methods for MRSA detection. 2) To confirm the phenotypic results with Polymerase Chain Reaction. 3) To evaluate the susceptibility of MRSA isolates to other antimicrobial agents.Eighty four MRSA isolates from soft tissue and bone samples identified by the cefoxitin (30µg) disc diffusion method were subjected to Oxacillin Screen Agar (OSA), cefoxitin E-strip, automated identification & sensitivity testing using BD Phoenix system and Polymerase Chain Reaction using the GeneXpert for mecA gene detection.Although all 84 isolates were resistant by cefoxitin disk diffusion, 83 (95.4%) isolates were positive for the mecA gene. The sensitivities of the OSA, cefoxitin E-strip and BD Phoenix system were 79.5%, 80.7%, and 100%, respectively. All the isolates were sensitive to vancomycin and linezolid. 70% of the isolates were sensitive to cotrimoxazole whereas maximum resistance of 76% was seen to ciprofloxacin.Automated identification by BD Phoenix system, if available, can be considered as the most sensitive phenotypic method for MRSA detection, while cefoxitin E-strip is the most appropriate test in a resource poor setting.