Candida isolation and identification from pregnant women in Kirkuk city

Abstract Background: One of the most common fungal species that have been discovered as a component of the normal flora in different human body sections is Candida spp. it is the only major opportunistic fungus that exists in both commensal and pathogenic forms. Objective: This study was prepared to find out the prevalence of candidiasis among pregnant women in Kirkuk city in addition to diagnose and identify its important species. Materials and Methods: This study was carried out on 154 patients whom suspected of having candidiasis and attended at (Azadi Teaching, Kirkuk General, and Al-Nasar Maternity) hospitals from December 2021 till April 2022. Specimens were carried out by taking a vaginal swab from all pregnant women. The swabs were first examined directly by using potassium hydroxide (10%) then inoculated onto Sabouraud’s dextrose agar supported with Amikacine antibiotic. The mycological examination has revealed 62.33% positive candidiasis, by direct microscopy examination through the recognition of pseudohyphae or yeasts. Hi Chrom agar medium was used to detect Candidal species identification. Results: Four species have been isolated each with an incidence of 67.7% for Candida albicans , 13.5% for Candida glabrata , 11.5% for Candida tropicalis , 7.3% for Candida krusie . Conclusion: It can be concluded that Candida is very common among pregnant women and being the most predominant species.