Candida Pneumonia with Lung Abscess as a Complication of Severe COVID-19 Pneumonia

Abstract

A South Asian male patient in his mid-forties presented with symptoms of severe 2019-nCoV (COVID-19) and recent brain infarction. Subsequently, he was found to have evidence of sepsis, underlying undetected diabetes mellitus (DM) and oral candida mucositis, possibly leading to the rare occurrence of direct spread to the lung, manifesting as a necrotizing candida lung abscess. We describe the diagnosis, clinical course, and management of the unique complication in this case that occurred during his admission, hospitalization, and eventual successful discharge from the hospital. This case highlights the importance of early identification and treatment of suspected COVID-19 infection based on clinical and radiological assessments before the confirmation of COVID-19 by real-time polymerase chain reaction (rtPCR) test result, especially in patients with hyperglycemia. It also indicates the complications that can occur due to COVID-19 such as arteriovenous manifestations and the rare occurrence of pulmonary candida lung abscess. Early detection and prompt management by interdisciplinary teams in the emergency room, followed by close monitoring of complications in the intensive care unit (ICU), can lead to successful outcomes in severe/critical COVID-19 infection.

Keywords:

• Candida albicans
• management
• computed tomography scan
• remdesivir therapy

Ethics and Consent Statements

Written informed consent was obtained from patient’s guardian for anonymized patient information to be published in this case report. Approval from the institution was not required to publish the case details in this case report.

Acknowledgments

Writing assistance was provided by Turacoz Healthcare Solutions (www.turacoz.com). Gilead Sciences provided support to this case report by paying Turacoz Healthcare Solutions for medical writing and managing publication in a peer-reviewed journal.

Disclosure

The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.