Purulent pericarditis complicating systemic infection with Candida tropicalis.

A patient with a purulent pericarditis due to Candida tropicalis is described. A 77-year-old woman undergoing chemotherapy for Hodgkin's disease was admitted to the hospital with a history of several febrile episodes. She was thought to be septic and was begun on broad-spectrum antibiotics, despite treatment, however, the patient expired. Among the multiple premortem blood, urine, and cerebrospinal fluid cultures, one blood culture yielded C. tropicalis 2 days postmortem. Autopsy revealed purulent pericarditis accompanied by endocarditis and myocarditis due to culture-proven C. tropicalis. This is the first reported case of purulent pericarditis complicating systemic infection with this organism and is indicative of the fulminant course of fungal pericarditis.