Candida chorioamnionitis associated with late stillbirth: A case report

H M Obermair; G Bhagwanani; R Caldas; H Doyle; J Smoleniec; A Adno

doi:10.1016/j.crwh.2020.e00239

Candida chorioamnionitis associated with late stillbirth: A case report

Case Rep Womens Health. 2020 Jul 6:27:e00239. doi: 10.1016/j.crwh.2020.e00239. eCollection 2020 Jul.

Authors

H M Obermair^{1

2}, G Bhagwanani¹, R Caldas³, H Doyle⁴, J Smoleniec^{1

2

3}, A Adno^{1

2

3}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Liverpool Hospital, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
² University of New South Wales, NSW, Australia.
³ Feto-Maternal Unit, Liverpool Hospital, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
⁴ Department of Histopathology, Children's Hospital Westmead, Sydney, NSW, Australia.

Abstract

Vulvovaginal candidiasis during pregnancy is common, but serious complications, including chorioamnionitis, are infrequent. A 41-year-old woman presented at 37 weeks of gestation with reduced fetal movements, and fetal death in utero was subsequently confirmed on ultrasound. Histopathology of the cord and placenta revealed Candida infection and microabscesses on the umbilical cord. Overall, these features are suggestive of ascending infection, consistent with Candida as the causative organism. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported case of late stillbirth due to Candida chorioamnionitis. More research is needed to determine the mechanism whereby Candida becomes pathogenic in pregnancy. There is also no clear consensus on how to manage such patients in a subsequent pregnancy.

Keywords: Candida; Case report; Chorioamnionitis; Infection; Stillbirth.

Publication types

Case Reports