An unusual case of Candida tropicalis and Candida krusei arthritis in a patient with acute myelogenous leukemia before chemotherapy.

Abstract

A 79-year-old male with acute myelogenous leukemia developed acute right knee arthritis during admission, after the use of broad-spectrum antibiotics before chemotherapy. The initial synovial fluid sample appeared to be mildly inflammatory with a low white cell count. The fungal septic arthritis was not diagnosed until Candida tropicalis, a rare species of Candida, was isolated in the synovial fluid. Although fluconazole is effective in treating the microorganism, the untreated leukemia rendered the infection incurable and led to the growth of fluconazole-resistant Candida krusei. We reported the unusual case of fungal arthritis and reviewed the literature.

• Authors: Hon-Pin Wang, Yung-Feng Yen, Wei-Sheng Chen, Yuh-Lan Chou, Chang-Youh Tsai, Hsiao-Ning Chang, Chung-Tei Chou
• Journal: Clinical rheumatology (Clin Rheumatol) Vol. 26 Issue 7 Pg. 1195-7 (Jul 2007) ISSN: 0770-3198 [Print] Germany
• PMID: 16767352 (Publication Type: Case Reports, Journal Article)

Chemical References

• Antifungal Agents
• Fluconazole

Topics

• Aged
• Antifungal Agents (therapeutic use)
• Arthritis, Infectious (microbiology, pathology)
• Candida (isolation & purification)
• Candidiasis (complications, drug therapy, pathology)
• Fatal Outcome
• Fluconazole (therapeutic use)
• Humans
• Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute (microbiology, pathology)
• Male
• Synovial Fluid (microbiology)