Candida albicans as the Sole Organism Cultured from a Perirectal Abscess

Perirectal abscess is a common colorectal condition that may be present with or without a fistula. In most cases where a fistula coexists the organisms cultured are gut-derived organisms whereas skin-derived organisms are more common in patients without fistula formation. Candida albicans, despite being an microorganism often found in the gastrointestinal tract, has not previously been reported as an isolate from a perirectal abscess culture. Here we report the case of a patient taking cefazolin in whom a perirectal abscess was diagnosed via computed tomography and aspiration of which demonstrated growth of only C. albicans. Prior literature has demonstrated that the microorganisms cultured from patients with perirectal abscesses do not differ between patients in whom antimicrobials had been used previously and those who were antimicrobial-naive, suggesting that there is a possibility that C. albicans is the sole organism responsible for the perirectal abscess in our patient. The patient underwent surgical drainage and was discharged with fluconazole and piperacillin/tazobactam, which led to the satisfactory recovery of the patient.