Invasive infection with Saccharomyces cerevisiae: report of three cases and review.
Saccharomyces cerevisiae (brewer's or baker's yeast) is a common colonizer of human mucosal surfaces, but its role as a clinically important pathogen has been unclear. We report three cases of life-threatening invasive infection with S. cerevisiae resulting in pneumonia, liver abscess and sepsis, and disseminated infection with cardiac tamponade, respectively. A review of the English-language literature reveals 14 other cases of saccharomyces infection in humans. Severe immunosuppression, prolonged hospitalization, prior antibiotic therapy, and/or prosthetic cardiac valves are the settings where saccharomyces infection has been observed. Because Saccharomyces can be a common saprophytic contaminant, biopsy and pathologic confirmation of infection are often necessary for a definitive diagnosis. Amphotericin B is the treatment of choice for serious infections with this organism.
Department of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 44106.
J N
JN
Aucott
J
J
Fayen
H
H
Grossnicklas
A
A
Morrissey
M M
MM
Lederman
R A
RA
Salata
D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009181:Mycoses / Q000382:microbiology*; D009894:Opportunistic Infections / Q000382:microbiology*; D012441:Saccharomyces cerevisiae / Q000302:isolation & purification