Objective: Yeasts play a significant role in the development of urinary tract infections, which are prevalent among hospitalized patients. This study aims to contribute to epidemiological data by evaluating the incidence of yeast species isolated from urine cultures.

Methods: The study included urine cultures taken between March 1, 2021 and February 28, 2022. The samples were cultured and incubated in suitable environments. The growing microorganisms were identified using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

Results: Out of the 64,313 urine culture samples examined, 14,353 were found to contain microorganisms that could be urinary pathogens. Yeasts (n=2078) were the third most frequently detected agent, following Escherichia coli (n=5137) and Klebsiella spp (n=2166). The prevalence of candiduria in urine cultures was found to be 28% among inpatients and 2.65% among outpatients. The most common species were Candida albicans (50.9%), Candida tropicalis (15.9%), Candida glabrata (10.1%), Candida kefyr (6.3%), and Candida parapsilosis (6.3%). Candida auris, a serious global health threat, was detected in only 18 (1.4%) samples, with 83% of these samples isolated from patients in intensive care units. In the study, 113 (10.3%) patients had blood cultures that grew the same type of yeast, while for C. auris, this rate was 72%.

Conclusion: The study results show that yeasts are the third most commonly detected pathogen in urine cultures, with a high rate of candiduria, particularly in hospitalized patients. Although concurrent candidemia was found in 10% of patients with candiduria, the rate was significantly higher (72%) for C. auris. This indicates that urine culture growth can be useful in predicting candidemia caused by C. auris.