Saccharomyces cerevisiae fungemia in a critically ill patient with acute cholangitis and long term probiotic use

Abstract

Saccharomyces cerevisiae has recently been used as an ingredient in probiotic supplements. Invasive Saccharomyces infection have been documented, and multiple predisposing risk factors have been identified including critical illness, ICU admission, antibiotics use, central venous catheters, probiotics use, and immunosuppression. We report a case of a 74-year-old man admitted for acute cholangitis taking a probiotic supplement containing the subtype Saccharomyces boulardii. He later developed S. cerevisiae fungemia that was successfully treated with Micafungin and Fluconazole. Keywords: Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Saccharomyces boulardii, Fungemia, Probiotic supplement, Micafungin