Abstract
Fungal endocarditis is a rare disease, and it is associated with severe complications and poor prognosis despite combined clinical and surgical treatment. Although Candida albicans (C. albicans) is the most common etiological agent of this severe form of endocarditis, Candida parapsilosis (C. parapsilosis) is the most common non-albicans causative species. It occurs mostly in patients with predisposing risk factors, and the rarity of this disease demands a high index of suspicion; the diagnosis must be vigilantly pursued by echocardiography and multiple blood cultures. The past few decades have witnessed a rise in the incidence of this disease, mainly due to improvements in the diagnostic approach. We report the case of a 63-year-old man with no previous medical history of cardiac disease and no risk factors who was diagnosed with fungal endocarditis due to C. parapsilosis without fungemia. This report illustrates a rare case of fungal endocarditis in a patient with no risk factors and highlights the challenges encountered in the diagnosis, along with complications and predictors of poor prognosis.
Highlights
Fungal etiology accounts for only 2-4% of all infective endocarditis cases [1], and its incidence has increased in the past few decades due to a growing number of patients at risk as well as improved diagnostic methods [2]
A high index of suspicion is required for its diagnosis, even in the absence of any apparent risk factors for fungal endocarditis
It is essential to be aware of embolic and immunological phenomena, which can be the only clues to raising infective endocarditis as a diagnostic hypothesis
Summary
Fungal etiology accounts for only 2-4% of all infective endocarditis cases [1], and its incidence has increased in the past few decades due to a growing number of patients at risk as well as improved diagnostic methods [2]. It can affect native and prosthetic valves or be cardiac device-related, and it is predominantly associated with host-predisposing conditions, like immunosuppression, or risk factors, such as prosthetic valves, indwelling central venous catheters, prolonged fungemia, or intravenous (IV) drug use. Due to the delay in microbiological identification, antifungal therapy had not been started
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
