Candida Sepsis

Intra-abdominal candidiasis (IAC) is a frequent and severe fungal infection in critically ill patients, often diagnosed late. Its pathophysiology remains unclear, particularly regarding why some patients develop invasive infection while others only show benign colonization. A potential explanation lies in the state of innate immunity. Monocyte HLA-DR expression, a recognized marker of immune suppression in critical care, may be transiently but profoundly reduced in non-immunocompromised patients who go on to develop IAC. This observational study aims to evaluate whether patients with IAC have greater innate immune dysfunction-assessed by HLA-DR expression-compared to those with severe bacterial intra-abdominal infections. The goal is to better understand the immune mechanisms involved and improve early risk stratification for IAC.