DOI: https://doi.org/10.36347/sjmcr.2026.v14i11.035

Pages: 2562-2573

Background: Candida spp. infections represent an important cause of morbidity and mortality, particularly among hospitalized and critically ill patients. Although Candida albicans remains a major causative species, the increasing contribution of non-albicans Candida species and the emergence of antifungal resistance constitute growing clinical and public health concerns. In Morocco, epidemiological and antifungal susceptibility data remain limited and heterogeneous. Objective: This narrative review aimed to synthesize the available evidence on the epidemiology of Candida spp. infections in Morocco, with particular emphasis on species distribution, antifungal susceptibility and resistance patterns, major knowledge gaps, and priorities for future surveillance. Methods: A literature search was conducted in PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar, complemented by manual screening of reference lists. Publications mainly covering the period from January 2005 to August 2026 were considered. Studies reporting data on Candida spp. infections, species distribution, antifungal susceptibility or resistance in Morocco were included. Because of substantial heterogeneity in study populations, clinical settings, identification methods, and susceptibility-testing procedures, the available evidence was analyzed descriptively. Results: The available Moroccan literature remains geographically and methodologically fragmented. C. albicans is frequently reported as the predominant species, while non-albicans Candida species, particularly C. glabrata, C. parapsilosis, and C. tropicalis, account for a substantial proportion of isolates in several clinical settings. Recent studies have also demonstrated greater species diversity when molecular identification methods are used. Reduced susceptibility or resistance to fluconazole and anidulafungin has been reported, including isolates displaying resistance to more than one antifungal class. However, the available data are ins