[A case of candida endocarditis with consecutive measurement of serum mannan and D-arabinitol concentrations].

We encountered a case of an 83-year-old patient with candida endocarditis. He had been diagnosed as having aortic regurgitation with moderately calcified aortic valve 5 years previously, and had received medication. He was admitted to our hospital because of pancreatic cancer. He had high fever from the time of his admission and antibiotics produced no effect. Candida albicans was detected in arterial blood culture. We also detected antibody against Candida albicans, and investigated serum mannan and the D-arabinitol creatinine ratio several times. We performed echo-cardiographic examination and recorded a vegetation at the aortic valve. Rising antibody titers against Candida albicans, mannan antigenemia and an elevated creatinine ratio were also observed. So we concluded that these examinations were also effective in the diagnosis of candida infection. Finally, this patient died of cerebral hemorrhage and was autopsied. Macroscopic findings showed mass-like vegetation involving the aortic valve, and microscopic findings showed candida organisms scattered within the vegetation.