IC may lead to invasive candidiasis in susceptible individuals, such as critically ill or immunosuppressed patients and premature babies. This occurs when fungi — most commonly the Candida species — escape the intestinal tract and infect other areas, such as the blood, brain, or heart. This leads to a fever that doesn’t go away after treatment with antibiotics, and can eventually progress to sepsis (a life-threatening immune system response) and death if untreated.
The mortality rate of candidemia (a Candida infection in the bloodstream) is estimated to be over 25% in premature infants and roughly 58% in adults who don’t receive timely treatment.[1]
References
- ^Mehmet Yekta Oncel, Sema Arayici, Fatma Nur Sari, Gulsum Kadioglu Simsek, Sadik Yurttutan, Omer Erdeve, Sibel Saygan, Nurdan Uras, Serife Suna Oguz, Ugur DilmenComparison of Lactobacillus reuteri and nystatin prophylaxis on Candida colonization and infection in very low birth weight infantsJ Matern Fetal Neonatal Med.(2015)