The impact of the COVID-19 on the antifungal consumption and antifungal resistance in Candida species isolated from the blood cultures of critically ill patients in intensive care units

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Incidence of Candida species increased in critically ill COVID-19 patients in intensive care units. This study aimed to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on antifungal consumption and Candida species distribution in bloodstream infections. We observed that a significant increase in non-albicansCandida species cases (P = .005) in 2021 coincided with higher rates of fluconazole resistance (P = .002) and increased minimum inhibitory concentrations for echinocandins (P = .012). Notably, voriconazole consumption and increased MIC levels positively correlated with both Candida albicans and non-albicansCandida species. This study underscores the importance of judicious antifungal use during the COVID-19 pandemic.