Intracranial fungal aneurysm caused by Candida endocarditis.

We describe a 67-year-old man who died 4 days after suffering a subarachnoid hemorrhage. Autopsy revealed a fresh subarachnoid hemorrhage and a ruptured fungal aneurysm near the trifurcation of the right middle cerebral artery. In comparison with 21 previously reported cases in which the fungal aneurysms were proved to be intracranial, the present case had several characteristic features: the causative fungus of the aneurysm was Candida (only one such case has been reported previously). The aneurysm was caused by direct Candida invasion of the arterial wall from the Candida embolus (previously reported aneurysms have been caused by direct invasion of the arterial wall during fungal meningitis). The source of the Candida was endocarditis (the main sources of fungus in previously reported cases have been sinusitis, dental extraction wounds, and some forms of surgery). We describe the features of this rare autopsy case of a ruptured fungal aneurysm caused by Candida originating from endocarditis and review the literature.