A Case of Invasive Candidal Colitis in a Neutropenic Patient / 대한소화기내시경학회지

ABSTRACT

The candida species are considered as resident microflora in healthy persons. Yet in immunocompromised patients, candida can cause opportunistic invasive fungal infections. A 67-year-old woman presented to the hospital with abdominal pain and diarrhea. On admission, the laboratory studies revealed profound neutropenia, and the abdominal computed tomography showed thickened walls of the ascending colon and terminal ileum. The patient's fever and clinical symptoms continued for 5 days in spite of the empirical antibiotic therapy. We performed colonoscopy and obtained biopsy specimens at the ulcer lesions of the ascending colon and terminal ileum. The histology showed that candida hyphae had invaded to the lamina propria of the colonic mucosa. After antifungal treatment, her clinical symptoms subsided and the follow-up colonoscopic findings showed improvement. Therefore, we suggest that invasive candidal colitis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of neutropenic enterocolitis.