Introduction:

candidiasis is a fungal infection caused mainly by non-albicans Candida species that usually appears on the skin or mucous membranes of patients.

Objective:

to characterize the incidence of Candida species with the highest number of isolates in hospitalized pediatric patients, at Mariana Grajales Hospital (Neonatology Service) and José Luis Miranda Hospital, in the period 2013 - 2018, in Villa Clara.

Methods:

descriptive and cross-sectional study with 50 Candida genus isolates in blood cultures of patients hospitalized at Mariana Grajales Hospital (Neonatology Service) and José Luis Miranda Hospital (Intensive Care Service), Villa Clara, from January 2013 to September 2018. Descriptive and inferential statistics using Pearson's chi-squared test (χ2) or Fisher's exact test to the variables: year of study, type of hospital, type of service and isolated Candida species.

Results:

the largest isolates of invasive candidiasis corresponded to the Intensive Therapy service from the pediatric hospital in 2018 (only with statistical significance). In this same hospital, the Candida spp group obtained the highest index, followed by Candida tropicalis, without statistical significance. The largest number of isolates corresponded to Candida spp in the Neonatology service, followed by Candida guillermondii, both without statistical significance.

Conclusions:

the Intensive Therapy service was the one with the highest number of cases of invasive candidiasis and the year 2018 was the most representative. The group of Candida spp was the most isolated species in both hospitals.