{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,11]],"date-time":"2026-09-11T22:06:46Z","timestamp":1789164406283,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":21,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"12","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,26]],"date-time":"2025-11-26T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1764115200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"EU","award":["PE00000007"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["PE00000007"]}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100003196","name":"Italian Ministry of Health","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100003196","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"crossref"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Microorganisms"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Candida viswanathii has been sporadically reported in Asia and South America but not in Europe. This study reports the first European outbreak of C. viswanathii in a paediatric hospital, outlining diagnostic challenges and containment measures. Fifteen C. viswanathii isolates were recovered from blood cultures of consecutive pediatric patients admitted to intensive care units between April and August 2025. Identification was performed using MALDI-TOF MS, chromogenic media, Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, and whole-genome sequencing (WGS). Antifungal susceptibility testing was performed by broth microdilution. All isolates were initially misidentified as C. tropicalis by MALDI-TOF MS and undetected by the FilmArray BCID2 panel. WGS confirmed C. viswanathii, and FT-IR analysis revealed clonally related strains, indicating an outbreak. Colonies displayed a distinct deep-blue color on chromogenic CHROMagar\u2122 medium. Elevated fluconazole minimum inhibitory concentrations were observed, while isolates remained susceptible to echinocandins and amphotericin B. A multidisciplinary infection-control response halted transmission within four weeks. This investigation documents the first C. viswanathii outbreak in Europe, highlighting diagnostic limitations of current commercial tools and the need for updated databases. Integration of FT-IR spectroscopy and WGS facilitated outbreak detection and containment, underscoring the importance of advanced diagnostics and surveillance for emerging fungal pathogens.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/microorganisms13122698","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,26]],"date-time":"2025-11-26T15:56:41Z","timestamp":1764172601000},"page":"2698","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":4,"title":["When Conventional Methods Fail: First Detection of a Candida viswanathii Outbreak in Europe in a Pediatric Hospital Revealed by Whole Genome Sequencing and FT-IR Spectroscopy"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"13","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6906-9506","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Gianluca","family":"Vrenna","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Microbiology and Diagnostic Immunology Unit, Bambino Ges\u00f9 Children\u2019s Hospital, IRCCS, 00165 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4552-8461","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Valeria","family":"Fox","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Multimodal Laboratory Medicine, Bambino Ges\u00f9 Children\u2019s Hospital, IRCCS, 00165 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7129-9001","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Venere","family":"Cortazzo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Microbiology and Diagnostic Immunology Unit, Bambino Ges\u00f9 Children\u2019s Hospital, IRCCS, 00165 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Serena","family":"Raimondi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Microbiology and Diagnostic Immunology Unit, Bambino Ges\u00f9 Children\u2019s Hospital, IRCCS, 00165 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0004-0459-4608","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Marco","family":"Cristiano","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Microbiology and Diagnostic Immunology Unit, Bambino Ges\u00f9 Children\u2019s Hospital, IRCCS, 00165 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1283-5075","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Gianluca","family":"Foglietta","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Microbiology and Diagnostic Immunology Unit, Bambino Ges\u00f9 Children\u2019s Hospital, IRCCS, 00165 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Sara","family":"Carilli","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Microbiology and Diagnostic Immunology Unit, Bambino Ges\u00f9 Children\u2019s Hospital, IRCCS, 00165 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5331-3973","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Martina","family":"Rossitto","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Multimodal Laboratory Medicine, Bambino Ges\u00f9 Children\u2019s Hospital, IRCCS, 00165 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Barbara","family":"Lucignano","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Microbiology and Diagnostic Immunology Unit, Bambino Ges\u00f9 Children\u2019s Hospital, IRCCS, 00165 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Manuela","family":"Onori","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Microbiology and Diagnostic Immunology Unit, Bambino Ges\u00f9 Children\u2019s Hospital, IRCCS, 00165 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Maria Paola","family":"Ronchetti","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Bambino Ges\u00f9 Children\u2019s Hospital, IRCCS, 00165 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1260-6427","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Andrea","family":"Dotta","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Bambino Ges\u00f9 Children\u2019s Hospital, IRCCS, 00165 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Andrea","family":"Campana","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Pediatrics Unit, Bambino Ges\u00f9 Children\u2019s Hospital, IRCCS, 00165 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Lorenzo","family":"Galletti","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Pediatric Cardiac Surgery Unit, Bambino Ges\u00f9 Children\u2019s Hospital, IRCCS, 00165 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Luca Di","family":"Chiara","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Pediatric Cardiac Surgery Unit, Bambino Ges\u00f9 Children\u2019s Hospital, IRCCS, 00165 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9120-0424","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Alberto","family":"Villani","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"General Pediatric and Infectious Disease Unit, Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Bambino Ges\u00f9 Children\u2019s Hospital, IRCCS, 00165 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Marta Luisa","family":"Ciofi Degli Atti","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Epidemiology, Clinical Pathways and Clinical Risk Unit, Medical Direction, Clinical Outcomes and Pathways Research Unit, Clinical Management and Technological Innovations Research Area, Bambino Ges\u00f9 Children\u2019s Hospital, IRCCS, 00165 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9926-6292","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Daniela","family":"Perrotta","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Intensive Care Unit and Surgical Unit, Palidoro Hospital, Bambino Ges\u00f9 Children\u2019s Hospital, IRCCS, 00165 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Corrado","family":"Cecchetti","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Bambino Ges\u00f9 Children\u2019s Hospital, IRCCS, 00165 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Massimiliano","family":"Raponi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Medical Direction, Bambino Ges\u00f9 Children\u2019s Hospital, IRCCS, 00165 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Carlo Federico","family":"Perno","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Microbiology and 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