Doctorado en Ciencias Aplicadas

Permanent URI for this collection

Now showing 1 - 1 of 1

Evaluación de sistemas oxidativos basados en luz UV sobre la inactivación y susceptibilidad de hongos patógenos humanos aislados de plantas de tratamiento de la ciudad de Cali
(Universidad Santiago de Cali, 2025-11-28) Caicedo Bejarano, Luz Dary; Correa Bermúdez, Adriana María (Directora); Serna Galvis, Efraím Adolfo (Director)
Aquatic systems, such as wastewater and drinking water, serve as reservoirs for pathogenic fungi, including species resistant to antifungals like azoles and echinocandins. In Cali, Colombia, wastewater and drinking water were evaluated, revealing 14 genera and 21 species of yeasts, with Candida present in all sampling sites. A 32.7% resistance to fluconazole was observed, influenced by physicochemical parameters and the presence of heavy metals, including Cr, Cd, Fe, Zn, and Pb. Tests with C. albicans showed that UVC/peroxide processes follow first-order kinetics, with UVC/H2O2 proving most effective, reducing susceptibility to fluconazole from 64 to 8 μg/mL. Yeasts exhibited low reactivation in darkness, indicating that using •OH and SO4•- radicals is a cost-efficient method for treating resistant yeasts. It is advisable to investigate the spread of resistant communities in the Cauca River and to expand these treatments to hospital systems.