CONGENITAL INFECTIONS WITH CANDIDA-ALBICA NS

Congenital candida infection is a rare disease, although the incidence of candida vaginitis during pregnancy is high. We report on five case s each showing patterns considered typical for candida infection. The infective agent can cause chorioamnionitis even in the presence of int act fetal membranes. An intrauterine device (IUD) has been proved to b e a risk factor for a congenital candida infection. The pathogenetic s ignificance of contamination with candida for the fetus appears to dep end largely on gestational age. A premature infant with a birth-weight less than 1500 g presented with bilateral candida endophthalmitis whi ch was cured by intravenous Fluconazole therapy. Another premature inf ant weighing 800 g at birth developed a systemic candida infection. Th e other three more mature infants had milder symptoms, two of them pre sented with cutaneous candidiasis.