Eradication of severe neonatal systemic candidiasis with amphotericin B lipid complex

To report the successful use of amphotericin B lipid complex in treating severe systemic candidiasis in a very-low-birth-weight infant.

A preterm female infant, born at 25 weeks' gestational age with a birth weight of 870 g, had received full supportive care in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), including mechanical ventilation, total parenteral nutrition, and placement of central venous catheters. At seven weeks of age, she developed severe disseminated candidiasis, which failed to respond to conventional amphotericin B and fluconazole therapy. Her progressive deterioration was reversed only after amphotericin B lipid complex (A-complex) was substituted for conventional amphotericin B. The improvement in her condition was impressive, and she made a full recovery without any adverse effect.

With increased reliance on invasive technologies for life support, systemic candida infections have become increasingly common among premature infants in the NICU. Such infections are potentially fatal for the high-risk neonate. A literature review shows limited documentation of the use of lipid-based formulations of amphotericin B, especially A-complex, in preterm infants. However, the collective experience with these products appears to show that they are effective and cause fewer adverse effects than conventional amphotericin B. The infant reported here had shown progressive deterioration from disseminated candidiasis until conventional amphotericin B therapy was replaced with A-complex. Her recovery corresponded to the clearance of the candidemia.

With favorable results and increasing experience with lipid-based formulations of amphotericin B, it is reasonable to consider these new formulations as therapy for candidemia in preterm infants who are at a high risk of nephrotoxicity or who have failed conventional therapy.