Question

Consider the following statements, and find the ones which are correct?
i) Candidiasis is a fungal infection caused by genus Candida, often seen in patients whose immune system is compromised, such as patients with autoimmune diseases.
ii) Most of the infections are hospital-acquired, especially in ICU settings.

Answer 1

Candidiasis is a fungal infection caused by a yeast, Candida albicans, that normally lives on the skin and inside the body like mouth, throat, gut, and vagina. This pathogen belongs to the genus Candida.

Fungi and their spores are common in the environment, and people breathe in or come in contact with fungal spores every day without getting sick. People with weak immune systems are more likely to get the infection which may include :

People living with HIV/AIDS
Organ transplant patients (E.g., Kidney transplant cases)
Cancer patients
Hospitalized patients
Stem cell transplant patients (E.g., bone marrow transplants)
People taking medications that weaken the immune system (in autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis)
Many a times, the infections are hospital-acquired, especially in ICU settings.
The risk for hospital-acquired infections is dependent on the infection control practices at the facility, the patient's immune status, and the prevalence of the various pathogens within the community.
The risk is higher among patients in ICU.