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The incidence of candidemia in healthcare centers is associated with high morbidity and mortality. Frequency varies significantly among regions, with some species being more prevalent than others in Latin America. In this study, 191 clinical Candida isolates were collected from a major hospital in Ecuador from January 2019 to February 2020 aiming to assess their prevalence and distribution. After data processing, 168 isolates characterized by the VITEK 2 system were subsequently identified by ITS sequencing. Results showed diverse Candida species distributions, with C. albicans and C. tropicalis being the most prevalent across different clinical sources. In hospitalized individuals, C. tropicalis (38%) and C. albicans (37%) were the most prevalent, followed by, C. parapsilosis (16%), C. glabrata (5%), and other non-Candida albicans (NCA) species (6%). Conversely, C. parapsilosis (48%), C. albicans (20%), and C. glabrata (14%), associated with candidemia, were the most common in blood and CSF. Additionally, uncommon NCA species such as C. haemulonii, C. kefyr, and C. pelliculosa were identified in Ecuador for the first time. Discrepancies in species identification were observed between the VITEK 2 system and ITS sequencing, coinciding at 85%. This highlights the need for ongoing surveillance and identification efforts in Ecuador's clinical and epidemiological settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thirty-five Acinetobacter baumannii isolates were recovered from two medical centres in Guayaquil City, Ecuador, from November 2012 to October 2013. Isolates were identified using MALDI-TOF and confirmed by rpoB. PCR methods were employed for epidemiological analysis.Thirty-three A. baumannii isolates were resistant to all β-lactams. The bla OXA-24/40 -like gene was detected in 30 isolates. DNA sequencing identified the bla OXA-24/40 -like amplicon as bla OXA-72. The 30 isolates harbouring bla OXA-72 strains showed the same PCR pattern. We report the first outbreak of bla OXA-72- producing A. baumannii in South America. This is the first study carried out in the Republic of Ecuador.