The Syndrome of Acute Disseminated Moniliasis in Adults

Most infections of infancy and childhood are not encountered in adults because of the immunity acquired through repeated or constant exposure to the responsible micro-organism. Under unfavorable conditions, however, adults may regain their susceptibility to certain childhood pathogens, as illustrated by the relatively high incidence of disseminated tuberculosis and histoplasmosis in older adults, 1,2 by the systemic Hemophilus influenzae infections of alcoholics, 3 and by the generalized form of herpes zoster (resembling chickenpox) in leukemia. 4 Another childhood infection 5-13 that has been observed only rarely in adults is disseminated moniliasis. Because of the recent emphasis placed on the problem of Candida infections in adults an attempt has been made to define the clinical syndrome of systemic moniliasis and to determine the disturbance in resistance responsible for such infections in adults. This has been done by analyzing the manifestations of the disease observed in the present case report, as well as those described in