Fungal urinary tract infection in outpatient practice: approaches to diagnosis and treatment

Introduction. In recent years, the role of fungal infection in inpatient and outpatient patients has been increasing. At the same time, there are currently no recommendations on the duration of treatment of outpatient patients with fungal urinary tract infection (UTI). Aim of the study. Optimization of methods of diagnosis and treatment of outpatient patients with fungal UTI. Materials and methods. To detect fungi in urine, the E. Koneman et al. (1997) method was improved. 56 patients with fungal UTI were examined. The efficacy of fluconazole in the treatment of fungal UTI was studied in 53 patients. Results. Candida albicans was detected in 37% of cases of fungal UTI in outpatient patients. Risk factors for fungal UTI in outpatient patients include: antibacterial therapy, infravesical obstruction, type 2 diabetes mellitus and the presence of urinary drain-age. The microbiological efficacy of fluconazole therapy for 7, 10 and 14 days was 83.0%, 94.3% and 96.2%, respectively. The growth of fungi in the urine a month after treatment was absent in 86.7% of patients. In outpatient patients with fungal UTI without type 2 diabetes mellitus, the efficacy of fluconazole at a dose of 150 mg per day for 7 days was 94.9%. In patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus after 7 days of therapy, the efficacy was 50.0%. Conclusions. The most common causative agent of fungal UTI in outpatient patients is Candida albicans. To detect fungi in urine, samples should be seeded on selective media, while increasing the seeding volume to 0.1 ml and extending the incubation time to 96 hours. Fluconazole is a highly effective treatment for fungal UTI at a dose of 150 mg per day for 7 days, however, in patients with diabetes mellitus, therapy should last at least 10 days. © 2021, Remedium Group Ltd. All rights reserved.