People who are at high risk for developing invasive candidiasis include patients who have a central venous catheter, patients in the intensive care unit, people who have weakened immune systems (for example, people who have had an organ transplant, have HIV/AIDS, or are on cancer chemotherapy), people who have taken broad-spectrum antibiotics, people who have a very low neutrophil (a type of white blood cell) count (neutropenia), people who have kidney failure or are on hemodialysis, patients who have had surgery, especially gastrointestinal surgery and patients who have diabetes. Candida, the fungus that causes invasive candidiasis, normally lives in the gastrointestinal tract and on skin without causing any problems. There are over 150 species of Candida, but only about 15 of these are known to cause infections.
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