Candida glabrata oropharyngeal infection in a patient with oral squamous cell carcinoma after COVID-19 infection
نویسندگان
1 Department of Ear, Nose, and Throat, Faculty of Medicine, Roohani Hospital, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran.
2 Invasive Fungi Research Center, Communicable Diseases Institute, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran
3 Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine Research Center, Health Research Institute, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran
4 Departments of Medical Mycology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
5 Department of Laboratory Sciences, School of Allied Sciences, Abadan University of Medical Sciences, Abadan, Iran
6 Department of Bacteriology and Virology, School of Medicine, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran
doi
10.22034/cmm.2023.345120.1478چکیده
Background and Purpose: The COVID-19 pandemic may be an aggravating risk factor for the delay of the diagnoses of serious illnesses, such as oral squamous cell carcinoma, as well as poor management of patients with underlying morbidities, the onset of oral lesions, and antifungal susceptibility to opportunistic fungal infections. Oral candidiasis is one of the most common oral features of COVID-19.Case Report: This study aimed to report an 83-year-old female diagnosed with oral carcinoma who developed oropharyngeal candidiasis after falling ill with COVID-19. In late 2020, this patient was hospitalized for COVID-19 pneumonia. A fissured tongue with white scars appeared after the COVID-19 recovery that caused pain, dysphasia, and dysarthria. The sequencing result based on the internal transcribed spacer rDNA region confirmed Candida glabrata. Its antifungal susceptibility showed susceptibility to nystatin, fluconazole, and caspofungin, but resistance to the other azoles and amphotericin B.Conclusion: Risk of fungal infections, such as Candida seems to be high in patients with severe COVID-19, mainly affecting the oral mucosa. However, whether they are directly attributed to COVID-19 or other surrounding factors is unknown.
