Fatal Postoperative Candida glabrata Septicemia in a Child with Congenital Heart Disease

• Published in: Journal of global infectious diseases 2009, Vol.1 (1), p.68-70
• Main Authors: Baradkar, Vasant, Taklikar, Shripad, Kumar, Simit
• Format: Report
• Language: English
• ISSN: 0974-8245
• DOI: 10.4103/0974-777X.52986

The incidence of candidemia has been reported to be high in some cardiovascular surgery units. Congenital heart disease has been considered a risk factor for acquisition of candidemia. This present case is a postoperative Candida glabrata in a child with congenital heart disease. A 3-year-old child, a previously diagnosed case of situs-solitus D loop situs with double outlet right ventricle, ventricular septal defect, pulmonary stenosis and large ostium secundum atrial septal defect, was admitted with history of effort intolerance. A left modified Blalock-Taussig shunt was performed and then the child underwent closure of the ventricular septal defect and the atrial septal defect. On the third day the patient developed fever. Klebsiella pneumoniae was isolated from blood which responded to piperacillin + tazobactam but on the twelfth day, the patient again developed fever spikes. The blood cultures performed at this time showed repeated isolation of Candida glabrata. Amphotericin B was started but still the patient deteriorated and died on the 22(nd) day after operation. The antifungal susceptibility of the isolate performed showed that the isolate was resistant to Amphotericin B.