Acute fungal thyroiditis in a patient with acute myelogenous leukaemia.

Abstract

Acute suppurative thyroiditis of any origin is uncommon, but fungal infections of the gland are particularly rare. Haematogenous spread is the usual route of infection. We here present the case of a recently encountered patient with neutropenic fever and Candida thyroiditis. Fine-needle aspiration biopsy greatly aided the diagnosis. In immunocompromised patients, the specimens should be treated with special stains to detect the presence of opportunistic organisms; if any are found, appropriate therapy should be initiated.