Candida tropicalis arthritis of the elbow in a patient with Ewing's sarcoma that successfully responded to itraconazole.
Fungal infections are rarely responsible for arthritis. Few cases of fungal arthritis have been reported, even in immunocompromised hosts susceptible to low-virulence organisms. Herein, the authors report the first case of Candida tropicalis arthritis in a child with a solid tumor. A 13-year-old boy with Ewing's sarcoma developed arthritis in his elbow during the neutropenic period after chemotherapy. Despite treatment with broad-spectrum antibiotics, his condition did not improve and serial blood cultures failed to reveal any causative organisms. After surgical drainage, culture of the joint fluid revealed the presence of C. tropicalis. Itraconazole treatment was started and after 3 months of therapy, the patient completely recovered full elbow function.
Department of Pediatrics, Korean Cancer Center Hospital, Seoul, Korea.
Seung Youn
SY
Kim
Jung Sub
JS
Lim
Dong Hwan
DH
Kim
Hyeon Jeong
HJ
Lee
Joong Bum
JB
Cho
Jun Ah
JA
Lee
Dong Ho
DH
Kim