Rapid identification of Candida spp. in peritonitis patients by Raman spectroscopy

This prospective study evaluated Raman spectroscopy for the identification of clinically relevant Candida spp. in peritonitis patients. A Raman database was developed by measuring spectra from 93 reference strains belonging to ten different Candida spp. Clinical samples were obtained from the surgical department and intensive care unit of a tertiary university hospital. In total, 88 peritoneal specimens from 45 patients with primary, secondary or tertiary peritonitis were included. Specimens were cultured initially on a selective Sabouraud medium that contained gentamicin to suppress bacterial growth. For conventional identification, a chromogenic medium was used for presumptive identification, followed by use of the Vitek 2 system for definitive identification (requiring a total time of 48–96 h). Raman measurements were taken on overnight cultures from Sabouraud–gentamicin medium. Thirty-one samples were positive for Candida by culture. Using multivariate statistical analyses, a prediction accuracy of 90% was obtained for Raman spectroscopy, which appears to offer an accurate and rapid (12–24 h) alternative for the identification of Candida spp. in peritonitis patients. The reduced turn-around time is of great clinical importance for the treatment of critically ill patients with invasive candidiasis in intensive care units.