Candidaemia and Candida colonization in patients with epidermal necrolysis: a retrospective case series

Sepsis is a leading cause of death in patients with epidermal necrolysis (EN). However, fungal infections have rarely been reported. From a monocentric retrospective study conducted between 2000 and 2023 in the medical intensive care unit of the reference centre for severe drug reactions in France, we report on the epidemiology of candidaemia and Candida sp. colonization in patients with EN. Of 155 patients with EN who were admitted to the ICU, 36 had a positive Candida sp. skin culture without candidaemia, 12 developed candidaemia and 107 had a negative skin culture and no candidaemia. Skin cultures showed a good sensitivity [89%; 95% CI (52–100%)] and excellent negative predictive values [99%; 95% CI (94–100%)] for candidaemia.