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Caspofungin treatment in two infants with persistent fungaemia due to Candida lipolytica

Nurşen Belet1, Ergin Ciftçi, Erdal Ince

  • 1Department of Paediatrics, Section of Infectious Diseases, Ankara University Medical School, Turkey. nurbelet@yahoo.com

Scandinavian Journal of Infectious Diseases
|June 27, 2006
PubMed

Insights

Candida lipolytica fungaemia is rare, often linked to catheters. In infants unresponsive to standard treatment, adding caspofungin to amphotericin B proved effective for successful treatment.

Area of Science:

  • Medical Mycology
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Pediatric Infectious Diseases

Background:

  • Candida lipolytica is an uncommon cause of fungaemia, typically associated with vascular catheters.
  • Standard treatment involves catheter removal or amphotericin B, which is often successful.

Observation:

  • Two infants presented with Candida lipolytica fungaemia.
  • These cases were refractory to both catheter removal and amphotericin B monotherapy.

Findings:

  • Successful treatment was achieved by adding caspofungin to amphotericin B.
  • This combination therapy effectively resolved the fungaemia in both infants.

Implications:

  • Caspofungin in combination with amphotericin B may be a viable treatment option for refractory Candida lipolytica fungaemia in infants.
  • Highlights the need for considering alternative antifungal strategies when standard therapies fail.

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