Objective: To investigate the risk factors and the clinical findings associated with fungal infection during early postoperative period after liver transplantation (LT).
Methods: The clinical data of 118 cases of liver transplantation performed during past four and a half years in Nanfang Hospital were studied retrospectively. Forty-four independent variable factors were analyzed by univariate analysis and logistic regression to screen out the risk factors for early fungal infcction after LT.
Results: Fungal infections occurred in 26 cases（22.0%）, and the mean time was 13.6 d. A total of 49 fungi strains were isolated, of which mainly was Candida albicans(57.1%).The most common infection site was the respiratory tract (75.5%).Logistic regression analysis showed that pre-operative liver failure, duration of mechanical ventilation over 48 hours, pleural effusion, observation in ICU for more than 5 days, and the use of more than 3 kinds of antibiotics and for longer than 2 weeks were risk factors. The infection rate was lower in patients with prophylactic administration of antifungal ugents than patients without prophylactic administration.（P＜0.05）.
Conclusions: Because multiple risk factors can lead to fungal infections following liver transplantation, it is important to make effective control of these factors and thus reduce the incidence of fungal infection. The use of antifungal agents for prophylaxis in high-risk LT patients is associated with a low incidence of serious fungal infection.