The potentially lethal problem of cardiac candidosis

Candidosis was recognized retrospectively in the hearts of 20 of 8,975 patients (0.2%) who had complete postmortem examinations done in Central Kentucky and South Florida. This mycosis, characterized by myocardial micro-abscesses with yeasts and pseudohyphal elements in 18 patients, was the most common fungal cardiac infection. Noncaseating granulomas were seen in only one patient. Infective endocarditis due to Candida species was found in seven individuals and involved the mitral valve most frequently. The 20 infected persons varied in age from 20 days to 65 years, with a mean age of 37 years, and included 11 males and nine females. All had compromising, usually benign, underlying diseases complicated by antibiotic therapy for suspected or proven Gram-negative sepsis. Typically, these patients were extremely ill, and eight had recognized conduction disturbances including altered heart rates and rhythms. Deep candidosis was considered a major factor in every patient's death. Experimental deep candidosis in 12 infected, adult laboratory rats was characterized by similar haphazardly scattered myocardial microabscesses with fungal elements in eight (67%). Endocarditis in the rats was not seen in this intracardiac injection model. Widespread antibiotic exposure in patients who have compromising underlying diseases portends an increasing incidence of deep candidosis, which as the potential to infect any tissue, particularly the heart, and to create cardiac arrhythmias and death.