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The following is a summary of “Case series of Candida albicans spondylodiscitis and a brief review of the literature,” published in the March 2025 issue of Infectious Diseases by Christiansen et al. 

Researchers conducted a retrospective study to define the characteristics, treatment, and outcomes of individuals with Candida albicans spondylodiscitis in Southern Denmark through a case series and literature review.  

They reviewed consecutive individuals treated for infectious spondylodiscitis between 2009 and 2023 at the Department of Infectious Diseases, Odense University Hospital, Denmark. Medical records were analyzed, and cases of C. albicans were included. A predefined search string was used to review English literature from the past decade, excluding articles that did not align with the study objectives.  

The results showed that among 5 fungal cases, 4 involved C.albicans infections and 2 individuals experienced vertebral pain or fever, and all were initially managed as bacterial spondylodiscitis. Positive blood cultures were found in 50%, while all had positive biopsy results, 2 individuals had candidemia within 1 year before the spondylodiscitis diagnosis. Fluconazole was the initial treatment for all, with a median duration of 9 months (range 6–12 months). The median time to diagnosis was 27 days (range 23–35 days) and 2 individuals died during treatment. The median follow-up period was 7 months (range 6–8 months). A total of 13 studies were included in the literature review.  

Investigators concluded that the study provided a clinical characterization of C. albicans spondylodiscitis in Southern Denmark, highlighting the importance of prior candidemia in improving early identification and demonstrating clinical similarities to previously reported cases. 

Source: tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/23744235.2025.2463957