Placental candidiasis: report of four cases, one with villitis

Four cases of placental candidiasis, an uncommon complication of rupture of the membranes, are presented. In addition to chorioamnionitis, in one of t hese cases villitis was also observed. Villitis is a rare occurrence in Can dida infection and this represents only the second case in the literature. The involvement of villi may be suggestive of blood-borne infection. Howeve r, since neither the mother nor the foetus presented any signs of systemic dissemination, the authors suggest a hypothesis of contamination of the vil li from foci of chorioamnionitis.