Pathogenesis of postoperative candidosis: no detectable fungemia during reoperations after abdominal surgery

Pathogenesis of systemic candidosis in surgical patients is unsettled. Results from animal models suggest that invasion from colonized intestine is the major portal of entry into circulation. To study the mechanisms of systemic candidosis in surgical patients after intestinal surgery, multiple blood cultures were taken during reoperations with manipulation of the intestinum to detect possible perioperative fungemia. The lysis centrifugation method (Isolator) was used for blood cultures. Of the 30 subjects in the material, 12 were demonstrated to be colonized with yeast before the reoperation. Three patients had positive blood cultures during reoperation, but no yeasts were found in the 146 perioperative blood cultures. Three patients had severe nonsuperficial yeast infection after reoperation, but none had disseminated candidosis. This finding in high risk patients supports the view that immediate perioperative fungemia and persorption from colonized intestinum is rare. However, persorption may occur later via healing wounds of the colonized intestinum. Both persorption and the exogenous route (e.g. vascular catheters) are possible in the pathogenesis of postoperative candidosis.