Invasive candidiasis is an infection (candidiasis) that can be caused by various species of Candida yeast. Unlike Candida infections of the mouth and throat (oral candidiasis) or vagina (Candidal vulvovaginitis), invasive candidiasis is a serious, progressive, and potentially fatal infection that can affect the blood (fungemia), heart, brain, eyes, bones, and other parts of the body. Signs and symptoms
Symptoms of invasive candidiasis can be confused with other medical conditions, however, the most common symptoms are fever and chills that do not improve with antibiotic treatment. Other symptoms develop as the infection spreads, depending on which parts of the body are involved. Presentation
Invasive candidiasis can manifest as serious diseases including as fungemia, endocarditis, endophthalmitis, osteomyelitis, and central nervous system infections. Cause
Invasive candidiasis is caused by 15 of the more than 150 known species of Candida. These species, all confirmed by isolation from patients, are: C. albicans, C. glabrata, C. tropicalis, C. parapsilosis, C. krusei, C. guilliermondii, C. lusitaniae, C. dubliniensis, C. pelliculosa, C. kefyr, C. lipolytica, C. famata, C. inconspicua, C. rugosa, and C. norvegensis. Over the last 20–30 years, C. albicans has been responsible for 95% of infections, with, C. glabrata, C. parapsilosis, C. tropicalis, and C. krusei causing the majority of the remaining cases. Recently, C. auris, a species first reported in 2009, has been found to cause invasive candidiasis. C. auris has attracted attention because it can be resistant to the antifungal medications used to treat candidiasis.
Critical illness
Long-term intensive care unit stay
Abdominal surgery (aggravated by anastomotic leakage or repeat laparotomies)
Immunosuppressive diseases
Acute necrotizing pancreatitis
Malignant hematologic disease
Solid-organ transplantation
Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation
Solid-organ tumors
Neonates (especially low birth weight and preterm infants)
Broad-spectrum antibiotic treatment
Central venous catheter
Internal prosthetic device
Total parenteral nutrition
Hemodialysis
Glucocorticoid use
Chemotherapy
Noninvasive Candida colonization (particularly if multifocal)

Transmission
Invasive candidiasis is a nosocomial infection with the majority of cases associated with hospital stays. Diagnosis
Because many Candida species are part of the human microbiota, their presence in the mouth, the vagina, sputum, urine, stool, or skin is not definitive evidence for invasive candidiasis.Positive culture of Candida species from normally sterile sites, such as blood, cerebrospinal fluid, pericardium, pericardial fluid, or biopsied tissue, is definitive evidence of invasive candidiasis. Diagnosis by culturing allows subsequent susceptibility testing of causative species. Sensitivity of blood culture is far from ideal, with a sensitivity reported to be between 21 and 71%. Additionally, whereas blood culture can establish a diagnosis during fungemia, the blood may test negative for deep-seated infections because candida may have been successfully cleared from the blood.Diagnosis of invasive candidiasis is supported by histopathologic evidence  (for example, yeast cells or hyphae) observed in specimens of affected tissues.Additionally, elevated serum β-glucan can demonstrate invasive candidiasis while a negative test suggests a low likelihood of systemic infection.The emergence of multidrug-resistant C. auris as a cause of invasive candidiasis has necessitated additional testing in some settings. C. auris-caused invasive candidiasis is associated with high mortality.