Comparison of Two Diagnostic Tests in Patients With Suspected Invasive Candidiasis in Internal Medicine Wards and Who Are Currently Timely Treated With Micafungin

EPICA-1 is a multicenter, open label, interventional study which will involve about 30 Internal Medicine Units throughout Italy, enrolling globally at least 100 hospitalised patients with suspicion of invasive candidiasis. These patients will be treated with an echinocandin (micafungin) as timely as possible, and they will continue the antifungal treatment according to international guidelines when diagnosis is confirmed by positive 1,3-β-D-glucan test: this will allow collection of information on patients outcome. At the same time, patients will be also evaluated by means of blood culture, so that comparison will be possible between the two diagnostic tests (primary end-point of the study).