Candida species are opportunistic fungal pathogens which cause severe infections in immunocompromised patients. Due to the profound developments in medical care, the number of immunocompromised patients has increased, and so has the number of life-threatening Candida infections1. At present, Candida is the 4th most common bloodstream pathogen in North America and ranks 8th in Europe13,19. High-risk groups include: neutropenic cancer patients, bone marrow and organ transplant recipients, patients suffering from AIDS, diabetics, and patients receiving broad-spectrum antibiotics or parenteral nutrition
