Endogenous Candida albicans infection causing subretinal abscess.
OBJECTIVE
We report a case of Candida albicans endophthalmitis with subretinal abscess formation in a patient who underwent liver transplantation.


METHODS
Case report.


RESULTS
A 51-year-old Japanese woman complained of deep pain and ciliary injection in her right eye. Three months prior, the patient had undergone liver transplantation for cirrhosis caused by hepatitis C. A slit-lamp examination revealed intense anterior chamber inflammation with hypopyon and fundoscopy showed a yellowish-white subretinal mass lesion in the inferior peripheral fundus. Systemic and topical antibiotics did not prevent further progression of the infection. The patient underwent pars plana vitrectomy treatment three times and a histopathological study of a vitreous specimen revealed C. albicans to be the causative organism.


CONCLUSIONS
A subretinal abscess, previously reported in Nocardia, Pseudomonas, Staphylococcus, and Aspergillus infection cases, can also occur in patients infected with Candida. Therefore, Candida infection should be considered as a potential cause of subretinal abscess in organ transplant recipients.
Department of Ophthalmology, The University of Tokyo Graduate School of Medicine, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan. kabutosi-tky@umin.ac.jp
Toshikatsu
T
Kaburaki
Mitsuko
M
Takamoto
Fumiyuki
F
Araki
Yujiro
Y
Fujino
Miyuki
M
Nagahara
Hidetoshi
H
Kawashima
Jiro
J
Numaga
D000038:Abscess / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery; D002176:Candida albicans / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D002177:Candidiasis / Q000209:etiology*; D018450:Disease Progression; D009877:Endophthalmitis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D016174:Hepacivirus; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000150:complications / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery; D016031:Liver Transplantation; D008875:Middle Aged; D010146:Pain / Q000209:etiology; D012160:Retina / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014821:Vitrectomy