A case of prosthetic joint infection due to the rare opportunist yeast, Cyberlindnera fabianii.

Background and purpose: Invasive fungal infections caused by Cyberlindnera fabianii (Cy. fabianii) have recently increased despite the low virulence potential of this yeast. However, limited information about the widely-used commercial biochemical identification systems has led to an underestimation of Cy. fabianii infections in clinical settings.

Case report: This study reports a case of prosthetic joint infection in a patient who had a previous history of total knee replacement surgery. Cy. fabianii was recovered from intraoperative culture specimens identified by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry and confirmed using molecular assays. It was, however, initially misidentified as Candida utilis by phenotypic identification.

Conclusion: Due to the emergence of uncommon yeast species, it is important to accurately identify and perform antifungal susceptibility testing on uncommon yeast isolates for appropriate management.