Candida is a common colonizer of the respiratory tract of intubated patients and generally does NOT require therapy
Candida pneumonia is extremely rare, and occurs in the profoundly immunosuppressed as part of systemic candidiasis.
Radiographically, almost all cases manifest as nodular disease (microabscesses from hematogenous spread)
Suspect systemic candidiasis + pneumonia in patients with all of:
profound immunosuppression, nodular disease or a new infiltrate on chest imaging, sepsis, and candida in respiratory samples.
These patients require treatment for systemic candidiasis and Infectious Diseases consultation is recommended.
