Background: Rhodotorula spp. are an emergent opportunistic pathogen, particularly in immunocompromised individuals.
Materials and methods: The aim of the study was to review reported cases of Rhodotorula infection over a period of 9 years to determine epidemiology, risk factors, treatment and outcome.
Results: The Rhodotorula spp. were isolated from cerebrospinal fluid (9) and blood (5). The most common pre-disposing factors were prolonged hospital stay (>1 month) and prolonged usage of broad-spectrum antibiotics (>1 month). All the isolates were identified as R. mucilaginosa by conventional methods. Amphotericin B demonstrated lowest minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) as compared with other anti-fungal agents (fluconazole, itraconazole and voriconazole).
Conclusions: The recognition of unusual yeasts as an agent of life-threatening infection and their intrinsic resistance increases the burden on the mycology laboratory for complete species identification and to determine minimum inhibitory concentration.