Fungal Graft Infections: Case Report and Review of the Literature

Fungal intravascular graft infections are rare. In addition to our case, which forms the basis of this article, only 13 documented instances could be found in the literature in the 20-year period from 1966 to 1986. Three of these cases (21%) had both fungus and bacteria grown in culture. Candida and Aspergillus species constituted most of the infecting organisms (79%). There was no obvious difference in the clinical presentations between fungal and bacterial infections. In two cases (14%), there was a strong predisposition toward fungal infection: one in a patient with pulmonary histoplasmosis and one in a patient with leukemia. Appropriate intervention appears to be graft excision and extra-anatomic bypass with concomitant therapy with amphotericin B. Survival with this approach was 84%, whereas other methods yielded a survival rate of 20%.