Endocarditis due to Candida albicans in an immunocompromised patient: A case report

BACKGROUND

Fungal endocarditis is a low-frequency disease with a challenging diagnosis, as it can be mistaken with bacterial endocarditis. Fungal endocarditis causes higher mortality rates in immunocompromised patients. In the clinical practice, the endocarditis caused by fungi represents up to 10% of all infectious endocarditis cases and has a mortality rate of nearly 50%.

CASE REPORT

Here we present the case of a 53-year-old woman under corticosteroid therapy with a history of rheumatic heart disease, aortic valve replacement, and rheumatoid arthritis, who presented with fungal endocarditis caused by Candida albicans. Even though the patient received 3 years of antifungal prophylaxis with fluconazole, had valve replacement surgery, and received intensive care, the patient finally worsened and died.

CONCLUSIONS

Comorbidities and corticosteroid therapy predisposed the patient to acquire fungal endocarditis. This case highlights the importance of implementing procedures for the isolation and identification of fungi, and for carrying out antifungal-susceptibility testing, as well as establishing surveillance programs to identify infection-causing species and drug resistance patterns in hospitals. Moreover, designing and upgrading the algorithm for infectious endocarditis is the key to future improvements in diagnosis.

Cytomegalovirus colitis: a cause of severe lower gastrointestinal bleeding

Cytomegalovirus infection is an uncommon illness that mainly affects immunocompromised subjects being associated with high morbidity and mortality rates. Reactivation or reinfection of the virus causes various symptoms ranging from asymptomatic forms to severe organ-specific complications, such as severe lower gastrointestinal bleeding. Once diagnosed the infection it is important and necessary to establish an adequate treatment with antivirals, with the surgical option for those cases with gastrointestinal complications depending on the patients clinical situation. We report two cases of immunocompromised patients that after presenting rectal bleeding, were diagnosed of cytomegalovirus colitis, requiring urgent surgery.