Congenital cutaneous candidiasis

Abstract

Three newborn infants are described in whom a generalized maculopapular rash was observed at birth or soon after. The eruption rapidly became vesicular, and in one infant it became bullous, and was followed in each case by extensive desquamation. Candida albicans was demonstrated on direct smear and on culture from the skin vesicles, and evidence of an intrauterine infection with this organism was detected on histologic examination of the placenta in at least two of the cases. Agglutinating antibodies to Candida were present in the sera of all three infants, though these may have reflected transplacental passage of maternal antibody.