This study was designed to identify and characterize the Candida species isolated from lower respiratory tract infections
among HIV positive patients and to determine the prevalence rates of Candida infections among these subjects. Two
early morning expectorate sputum samples were collected from 272 HIV positive subjects visiting the ART clinics and
DOTS centre with cases of lower respiratory tract infection, over a period of 14 months from May 2009 to July 2010 in
Calabar. Subjects were recruited for this study upon approval by the Ethical Research Committee of the University of
Calabar Teaching Hospital and obtaining written informed consent from the patients. Samples were processed by standard
methods for isolation of Candida. Speciation was done by a germ tube test, chlamydospore production on corn
meal agar and sugar fermentation and assimilation tests using the Microexpress Candida identification kit (Tulip, India).
Out of the 544 sputum samples collected from 272 subjects, Candida species were isolated from 40 (14.7%) and identified
after confirming the growth in the second sample. The majority of Candida species among the Candida isolates
were Candida albicans (80%) followed by Candida tropicalis 5 (12.5%), Candida dubliniensis 2 (5.0%) and Candida
guilliermondii 1 (2.5%). The isolation rate of Candida species from sputum samples was found to be highest among
subjects aged 25 - 34 years, followed by those aged 15 - 24 years. Twenty (7.3%) HIV seropositive subjects had bacterial
infections, while 4 (1.5%) subjects had mixed fungal and bacterial infections. This study is the first of its kind to be
carried out in Calabar and the South-South geopolitical region of Nigeria, and has shown that pulmonary candidiasis is
a health problem among HIV positive patients in Calabar