Background: Candida species are known to be the most frequently encountered fungal pathogens in humans. There has been a noticeable rise in the occurrence of human infections caused by Candida over the past few decades. This cross-sectional study aimed to characterize the epidemiology and antifungal susceptibility patterns of Candida species isolated from clinical specimens in a tertiary hospital in Benin, Edo state, Nigeria.

Methods: A total of 104 Candida isolates were obtained from various clinical specimens using a simple random sampling technique. The isolates were cultured on Chromagar Candida and identified based on characteristic color production. Antifungal susceptibility testing was performed using the disk diffusion method for Amphotericin B, ketoconazole, fluconazole, and Nystatin. Statistical analysis was conducted using SPSS version 20.0.

Results: Candida albicans was the most prevalent species, accounting for 72.1% of isolates, followed by Candida krusei (17.3%), Candida tropicalis (7.7%), and Candida glabrata (2.9%). High vaginal swabs showed the highest frequency of Candida isolates (46.2%). Females exhibited a higher preponderance of candidiasis (81.3%) compared to males. Candida albicans showed significant resistance to Amphotericin B and fluconazole, while other species demonstrated mixed susceptibility patterns. The antifungal susceptibility testing indicated variations in resistance patterns among different Candida species.

Conclusion: The study revealed a predominance of Candida albicans in clinical specimens, with emerging cases of non-albicans species. Antifungal resistance to clinically available agents raised concerns, necessitating continuous surveillance and monitoring of susceptibility patterns. The results underscore the importance of developing targeted strategies to combat the