Master’s Study at the College of Medicine Identifies the Predominant Candida Species Causing Candidemia in Children with Malignancies

 On Sunday, September 6, 2026, a Master’s thesis submitted by Sara Furqan Faisal, from the Department of Medical Microbiology, College of Medicine, Al-Nahrain University, was discussed. The thesis was entitled:

“Detection of Candidemia in Febrile Children with Acute Leukemia and Solid Tumors, with or without Neutropenia”

The study aimed to determine the prevalence of Candida species among febrile children with acute leukemia and solid tumors who were undergoing chemotherapy, using conventional and molecular diagnostic techniques.

Acute leukemia and solid tumors were the two major malignancies represented in the study. The patients ranged in age from 3 to 18 years, with 51% being male and 49% female.

The results showed that 14% of the samples were positive by culture, while polymerase chain reaction (PCR) detected six positive samples out of 100. These six samples were subsequently confirmed by Sanger gene sequencing.

The final results showed that two patients were infected with Candida albicans, while three patients were infected with Candida tropicalis. The sequencing result for the remaining patient was inconclusive.

The study concluded that Candida tropicalis and Candida albicans were among the most important fungal species causing candidemia in the participating children with acute leukemia and solid tumors.

The discussion committee consisted of:

• Prof. Dr. Jabbar Salman Hassan – Chair

• Prof. Dr. Shatha Hussein Ali – Member

• Prof. Dr. Alaa Salem Hamza – Member

• Prof. Dr. Azhar Abdul-Fattah Ibrahim – Member and Supervisor

The thesis was successfully approved with a grade of “Excellent.”

Media and Government Communication Division
College of Medicine – Al-Nahrain University