Treatment of Candida albicans fungaemia with fluconazole.

Sixty-five patients with Candida albicans fungaemia, admitted to intensive care units, were treated intravenously with fluconazole. All patients had at least one blood culture which was positive for C. albicans. The first group of 34 consecutive patients received fluconazole at a dose of 5 mg/kg bodyweight/day and the subsequent 31 patients received 10 mg/kg/day. Thirty patients in each group were evaluated. The clinical response rate was 60% in the 5 mg/kg once daily group and 83% in the group which received 10 mg/kg/day. Eradication of C. albicans from the blood was achieved in all but two patients in the 5 mg/kg group and in all patients in the 10 mg/kg group. As regards other sites of infection, eradication was achieved in only nine of 25 cases from the 5 mg/kg group and in 11 of 23 cases from the 10 mg/kg group. Death related to fungal infection occurred in eight patients receiving 5 mg/kg/day and in one patient receiving 10 mg/kg/day. Fluconazole was reasonably well tolerated. Raised concentrations of liver enzymes were observed in 14 patients. Other adverse effects were fatigue, nausea, gastric pain, sleepiness and epileptic seizure. In conclusion, fluconazole at a dose of 10 mg/kg/day would seem to be an effective and safe drug for the management of C. albicans fungaemia.