Malassezia furfur-related colonization and infection of central venous catheters

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.This study was partially supported by a clinical research pilot study grant from INSERM France (91CN52)