Evaluation of Invasive Intra-abdominal Candidiasis in Crohn Disease at the Time of Surgery

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to determine whether a connection exists between Crohn disease and fungi, specifically Candida albicans, because one possible cause of disease is thought to be the presence of fungi in the intra-abdominal cavity. The diagnosis of invasive candidiasis is difficult due to the lack of specific clinical manifestations of the disease. A retrospective evaluation of the presence of invasive candidiasis was done in a group of 54 patients with Crohn disease and in a group of 31 patients who received surgery primarily for right-sided cancer of the colon. METHODS: Culture samples were obtained from the wall of the extraluminal portion of the terminal ileum and the adjacent mesenterium, and then sent to the microbiology laboratory for further investigation. Sabouraud agar (SGC2) and chromID Candida agar (CAN2) were used for both short-term (48 hours) and long-term (10 days) cultivation. RESULTS: Pearson chi-square test revealed a statistically significant difference in the prevalence of fungi and yeast between the 2 groups of patients (χ(2) = 4.3873, P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Patients with Crohn disease had a significantly higher prevalence of fungi and yeasts in the intra-abdominal cavity compared with cancer patients.