Chronic neutrophilic meningitis caused by Candida albicans.
Meningitis caused by Candida albicans is a very infrequent entity. We present 3 intravenous drug users with chronic neutrophilic meningitis caused by Candida albicans. The clinical, microbiological and radiological features of the 3 patients are reviewed. The interval between the onset of the disease and the diagnosis was long (from 4 to 12 months). Candida albicans was cultured from cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in the 3 patients. All of them developed hydrocephalus, meanwhile arachnoiditis was disclosed in two. The therapy with amphotericyn, 5-flucytosine and fluconazole produced clinical improvement and the sterilisation of the CSF in all the 3 cases. Clinicians should be aware of this entity because of diagnosis may be delayed in several months.
del Pozo
M M
MM
Servicios de Medicina Interna y Neurología, Hospital Universitario, Madrid.
Bermejo
F
F
Molina
J A
JA
de la Fuente
E C
EC
Martínez-Martín
P
P
Benito-León
J
J
D000328:Adult; D002176:Candida albicans / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D002178:Candidiasis, Chronic Mucocutaneous / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008581:Meningitis / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000382:microbiology*; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology