en Medical Biology Medical Biology مقاله پژوهشی Original Research Article <span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="line-height:normal"><span style="font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;">Background and Objective:</span></span></b> <span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;">Given the high prevalence of fungal colonization in intubated patients and the importance of diagnosing hospital-acquired fungal infections, this study aimed to investigate the prevalence of fungal colonization in the tracheobronchial tree of patients undergoing prolonged mechanical ventilation in the intensive care unit (ICU) and the associated risk factors affecting clinical outcomes.</span></span></span></span></span><br> <span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="line-height:normal"><span style="font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;">Methods:</span></span></b> <span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;">In this cross-sectional study, the medical records of 100 patients admitted to the ICU of Vali Asr and Razi Hospitals in Birjand were reviewed and recorded in a related checklist. Mini-ball samples were collected from the endotracheal tube and placed in sterile Falcon tubes containing physiological saline for fungal analysis. Part of the sample was sent for direct microscopy using KOH 10% and culture, while another part was sent in a screw-capped tube at -20 &deg;C for molecular testing using Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR).</span></span></span></span></span><br> <span style="line-height:normal"><b><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;"></span></span></b></span><br> <span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="line-height:normal"><span style="font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;">Results:</span></span></b> <span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;">In the initial examination, fungi were isolated from 43 samples in direct examination and culture, and 12 cases of fungi were identified using PCR. <i>Candida albicans</i> (66.7%) is the most commonly identified fungus. Also, 2 cases of <i>Aspergillus flavus</i> were identified by culture and PCR. There was no significant relationship between risk factors and fungal infections. The mortality rate in patients with fungal infections was significantly higher than those without fungal infections.&nbsp; (P=0.019).</span></span></span></span></span><br> <span style="line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;"></span></span></span><br> <span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="line-height:normal"><span style="font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;">Conclusion:</span></span></b> <span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;">Considering the high prevalence of fungal infections in ICU patients, identifying risk factors and using accurate laboratory techniques to diagnose infection and effective treatment can prevent the colonization of fungal agents in the tracheobronchial tree of the lung.</span></span></span></span></span><br> &nbsp; Aspergillosis, Candidiasis, Fungal Colonization, Tracheobronchial Tree, Mechanical Ventilation, Bronchoalveolar lavage 3 3 http://journal.zums.ac.ir/browse.php?a_code=A-10-7302-1&slc_lang=en&sid=1 Sayyed Gholamreza Mortazavi Moghaddam gmortazavi@bums.ac.ir 5200319475328460088317 5200319475328460088317 No Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Birjand University of Medical Sciences, Birjand, Iran Fatemeh Nikoomanesh fateme.nikoomanesh@bums.ac.ir 5200319475328460088318 5200319475328460088318 No Infectious Diseases Research Center, Birjand University of Medical Sciences, Birjand, Iran. Tahereh Ghaderi taherehghaderi88@gmail.com 5200319475328460088319 5200319475328460088319 Yes School of Medicine, Birjand University of Medical Sciences, Birjand, Iran. Saeede Babaiyan s.babaiyan@bums.ac.ir 5200319475328460088320 5200319475328460088320 No Department of Anesthesiology, School of Medicine, Birjand University of Medical Sciences, Birjand, Iran