Introduction:

Fungal infections have become an important cause of morbidity and mortality. Opportunistic fungal infections in particular, either caused by yeasts or by filamentous fungi, have raised their incidence significantly. Systemic infections of a fungal origin have acquired great importance in immunocompromised patients.

Objective:

Analyze the prevalence of fungal infections in several hospital institutions.

Methods:

A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted in Montería, Córdoba, Colombia, in the period 2011-2015. The research was based on the statistical analysis of clinical data from patients with fungal infections attending four hospital institutions in the city of Montería, in keeping with the International Classification of Diseases, tenth version.

Results:

Eleven types of fungal infections prevailed in the period 2011-2015. A predominance was found of candidiasis (47.8 %), other superficial mycosis (20.6%), dermatophytosis (14.3 %) and chromomycosis (13.0 %). The male sex was more affected with 53.1 %, whereas the prevailing age group was 34 years for both sexes.

Conclusions:

An increase in fungal infection prevalence was observed in Montería, Córdoba, in the period 2011-2015. Candidiasis behaves as a prevalent infection. The results of the study may serve as reference for future epidemiological studies in Colombia.

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