Congenital Cutaneous Candidiasis

Introduction  Neonatal candidiasis, contracted during passage through the vagina and erupting clinically during the first two weeks of life, is a commonplace occurrence. On the other hand, candidal infection contracted in utero and clinically manifest at birth is extremely rare. The few cases recorded in the literature indicate that systemic rather than cutaneous infection is the rule and that the outcome is usually fatal.^1,2In 1960 we reported what we believe to be the first case of prenatally contracted cutaneous candidiasis.³ In that case the intrauterine origin of the infection was inferred from the presence at birth of well-advanced, extensive candidal skin lesions. Premature rupture of the membranes, permitting ascending candidal contamination of the uterine cavity and its contents, furnished a plausible explanation for the pathogenesis of the fetal infection. Intensive administration of antibiotics during the last 17 days before delivery may have been a contributory factor.The