Long-term remission of candidiasis with fermented lingonberry mouth rinse in an adult patient with APECED

Pirjo Pärnänen; Juho Suojanen; Mikael Laine; Timo Sorsa; Annamari Ranki

doi:10.1016/j.ijid.2024.107066

Long-term remission of candidiasis with fermented lingonberry mouth rinse in an adult patient with APECED

Int J Infect Dis. 2024 Apr 20:144:107066. doi: 10.1016/j.ijid.2024.107066. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Pirjo Pärnänen¹, Juho Suojanen², Mikael Laine³, Timo Sorsa⁴, Annamari Ranki⁵

Affiliations

¹ Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Diseases, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland. Electronic address: pirjo.parnanen@helsinki.fi.
² Helsinki University Hospital, Cleft Palate and Craniofacial Centre, Helsinki, Finland; Department of Maxillofacial Surgery, Päijät-Häme Central Hospital, Joint Authority for Health and Wellbeing, Lahti, Finland; Clinicum, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
³ Porvoo Hospital, Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Hospital District of Helsinki and Uusimaa, Porvoo, Finland.
⁴ Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Diseases, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland; Department of Dental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Huddinge, Sweden.
⁵ Department of Dermatology and Allergology, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland.

PMID: 38649005
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijid.2024.107066

Abstract

We report a long-term remission in candidiasis in a 57-year-old Finnish female with autoimmune polyendocrinopathy-candidiasis-ectodermal dystrophy (APECED) suffering from recurrent oral, esophageal, gastric, vaginal, and anal candidiasis since childhood. Candidiasis treatment with antifungal medicines fluconazole, itraconazole, posaconazole, voriconazole, caspofungin, nystatin, or amphotericin-B during 2008-2021 had variable effects and intermittent development of antifungal resistance and hospital periods. The patient started using fermented lingonberry juice (FLJ) as a mouth rinse daily in April 2021. No symptoms or mucosal signs of candidiasis in any part of the digestive system or vaginal area have been noticed during this exceptionally long-term 2 ½ year remission in candidiasis without antifungal medications.

Keywords: APECED; APS-1; Antifungal resistance; Chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis; Fermented lingonberry juice.

Publication types

Case Reports