Journal of Pathology and Translational Medicine

Case Reports

Disseminated Systemic Candidiasis and Aspergillosis in a Liver Transplant Patient: An Autopsy Report.: Na Rae Kim, Dae Su Kim, Young Hyeh Ko, Sung Joo Kim; Korean J Pathol. 2002;36(5):348-352.

Abstract PDF: Postoperative complications of liver transplantation include rejection, infection, hepatic vascular thrombus, and primary graft failure, etc. Among them, fungal infection shows nonspecific clinical symptoms and overlapping laboratory findings with variable etiologies causing post-transplant hepatic dysfunction. Therefore, early diagnosis of fungal infection is not easy. Here, we report an autopsy case of disseminated candidiasis and aspergillosis in a liver transplant patient. The case was at first misinterpreted as acute cellular rejection on biopsy because the histology of predominantly cellular infiltration, ductulitis and endothelialitis were similar to those of acute cellular rejection. On autopsy, the liver, lung and kidney showed multifocal hemorrhagic infarcts due to intra-arterial fungal emboli, which were composed mostly of candida species and a minor fraction of aspergillus. Fungal thrombi invading portal vein, intrahepatic arterioles with subsequent coagulation necrosis, venulitis and ductulitis were ascribed to the misdiagnosis on biopsies. It is unusual that systemic candidiasis, unlike aspergillosis, involves large arteries.

Hepatic Candidiasis: A case occurred in a patient with leukemia.: Chan Il Park, Sun Hee Sung, Eun Kyung Han, Ho Guen Kim; Korean J Pathol. 1991;25(3):275-277.

Abstract PDF: In view of the possible role of portal circulation in hematogenous spread of Candida species, a case of hepatic candidiasis occurred in an eight-year-old child with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) treated by chemotherapy is presented. Symptoms and signs referable to the hepatic disease in this patient included hepatomegaly, icteric sclera and abdominal pain. There were no particular manifestations suggestive of deep mycotic involvement of any sepcific organs or tissues other than the liver. Culture of the blood was negative for one month. On the 24th hospital day the patient died with the presumptive diagnosis of ALL, disseminated intravascular coagulation, acute renal failure, pulmonary edema, cholecystitis and oral thrush. A needle necropsy was performed and revealed fungal aggregates replacing the large foci of hepatic cell loss. It is suggested that, when the gastrointestinal tract serves as the portal of entry, the liver could be the visceral organ involved first in the course of disseminated candidiasis.

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