Candida Pericarditis in a Patient with Leukaemia

Candidal pericarditis is extremely rare. Its clinical diagnosis and successful treatment has not been reported earlier. A case is reported of a 30-year-old male with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia complicated with exudative pleuropericarditis, probably initially of leukaemic origin. Following persisting fever cultures of blood and pericardial fluid yielded massive growth of candida albicans. After 3 weeks treatment with intravenous amphotericin B, flucytosine and miconazole, the blood and pericardial fluid was sterilized. A sufficient amphotericin B concentration in the pericardial fluid was obtained without local instillation.