Catastrophic Candida prosthetic valve endocarditis and COVID-19 comorbidity: A rare case

Abstract

Background and Purpose: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and Candida prostatic valve endocarditis present various clinical manifestations which may overlap; hence, discrimination between them is extremely difficult. Case report: The case was a 66-year-old man with a past medical history of mitral and aortic valves replacement one year before COVID-19 co-infection. He was admitted with fever (for 7 days), shortness of breath, cough, seizure, lethargy, headache, and 85% oxygen saturation. Transesophageal echocardiography revealed multiple large-sized, highly mobile masses on both sides of the mechanical mitral valve highly suggestive of vegetation. Chest computed tomography scanning showed simulating scattered COVID-19 peripheral ground-glass opacities confirmed by reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction. The set of blood cultures yielded yeast colonies that were identified as Candida tropicalis. The patient died of septic shock shortly after receiving antifungal therapy. Conclusion: This case emphasized the importance of early diagnosis and implementation of antifungal treatment, particularly in patients with prosthetic cardiac valves, to reduce their unfavorable outcomes in COVID-19 patients.