Spontaneous Fungal Peritonitis in Ascites of Cardiac Origin

Spontaneous fungal peritonitis (SFP) is an infrequent but severe complication most commonly described in patients with liver cirrhosis. We present the first case of culture-proven SFP occurring in cardiogenic ascites. The diagnosis of SFP was clinically challenging as the initial ascites was consistent with the more common diagnosis of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP). The patient did not respond to antibacterial therapy, however, and the final diagnosis was only made with positive ascitic cultures that grew Candida glabrata. SFP should be considered in patients with either cardiac or cirrhotic ascites and have a delayed or lack of response to traditional SBP treatment.