Resumen

Acute mediastinitis is a serious infection involving the connective mediastinal tissue in the interpleural spaces and other thoracic structures. Candida albicans mediastinitis is a rare clinical entity associated with high mortality and morbidity. We present a rare case of a previously healthy and immunocompetent man with Candida mediastinitis due to retropharyngeal abscess after dental extraction, who presented with odynophagia and fever. Antibiotics were prescribed and surgical drainage was performed after diagnosis of mediastinitis by CT scan; however, the patient remained febrile. The second culture obtained during irrigation of the mediastinum was positive for Candida albicans and the patient was responsive to antifungal therapy and survived. This case illustrates the need to consider a fungal cause in immunocompetent patients with mediastinitis who are not responsive to broad spectrum antibiotics and surgical drainage.

Palabras clave: Candida mediastinitis odynophagia.

2011-04-18   |   454 visitas   |   Evalua este artículo 0 valoraciones

Vol. 5 Núm.1. Enero 2011 Pags. 75-78. J Infect Developing Countries 2011; 5(1)