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Published on: December 28, 2017
Treatment of Candida arthritis with flucytosine and amphotericin B
M E Weisse1, D A Person, J T Berkenbaugh
1Department of Pediatrics, Tripler Army Medical Center, Honolulu, Hawaii.
Abstract:
A premature infant with disseminated Candida tropicalis infection with arthritis and osteomyelitis is presented. Although the organism was susceptible to amphotericin B, synovial fluid cultures were still positive for yeast after 2 weeks of intravenous amphotericin B therapy. The addition of oral flucytosine (25 mg/kg four times daily) resulted in sterilization of the synovial fluid within 4 days. Simultaneous serum and synovial levels of flucytosine were 47.5 micrograms/ml and 39.6 micrograms/ml, respectively. This is the first documentation in the medical literature of intraarticular levels of flucytosine, and provides further rationale for the use of flucytosine in addition to amphotericin B in patients with Candida arthritis.
Insights
A premature infant with disseminated Candida tropicalis infection showed persistent joint infection despite amphotericin B treatment. Adding oral flucytosine (5-fluorocytosine) successfully cleared the yeast from synovial fluid, demonstrating its efficacy in invasive Candida arthritis.
Area of Science:
- Mycology
- Infectious Diseases
- Pediatric Rheumatology
Background:
- Disseminated Candida tropicalis infection in premature infants can lead to severe joint involvement, including arthritis and osteomyelitis.
- Standard antifungal therapy with amphotericin B may not always achieve rapid fungal clearance from synovial fluid.
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