What is the significance of Candida in a urine specimen?
Candida in the urine frequently represents colonization particularly in association with indwelling urinary catheters. True infection is uncommon compared with colonization. The prevalence of candiduria has been estimated at 0.2%-6% among asymptomatic volunteers and at 6.5%-20% among hospitalized individuals (1). The presence of risk factors such as urinary catheters, anatomic or functional abnormalities of the genitourinary (GU) tract, exposure to antibacterial agents, immunosuppression and/or leukopenia, diabetes mellitus, and candida cultures positive from other sites all lend support to the clinical diagnosis of candidal urinary tract infection (2). Fisher and colleagues (3) have suggested an algorithm for the evaluation of candiduria based on the sparse literature in this area. They recommend first verifying the presence of the organism by repeating a urine microscopy and culture. Of course, the urine should be carefully collected with a clean-voided midstream urine sample. If can
