Congenital Cutaneous Candidiasis With Systemic Dissemination in a Preterm Infant

Congenital cutaneous candidiasis is an infrequent invasive fungal infection that usually appears in the first days of life. Extremely low birth weight infants are the most frequently affected. Classic presentation includes diffuse extensive erythematous rash with papules, plaques, pustules and vesicles, which later undergoes desquamation. Systemic dissemination is common in extremely low birth weight infants. Blood, urine and cerebrospinal fluid evaluation should be included in the initial assessment. Early and prolonged treatment has been associated with decreased mortality. We report the case of congenital cutaneous candidiasis in a preterm infant. Early skin lesion recognition allowed establishing adequate treatment in the first hours of life.

Automated summary

Congenital cutaneous candidiasis is a rare invasive fungal infection that typically occurs in the first days of life, with classic presentation of extensive erythematous rash. Extremely low birth weight infants are most commonly affected. Early and prolonged treatment has been associated with decreased mortality.