Biliary obstruction and cholangitis are common problems in gastroenterology. Infections of the biliary tract with Candida and other fungal species have increasingly been seen in the last few years.

To investigate the prevalence, associations, and trends of biliary-tract candidiasis.

A prospective, observational, diagnostic study.

University Hospital, Muenster, Germany.

Consecutive patients undergoing ERCP for various indications.

In 54 of 123 patients, we found Candida species in bile samples (44%). In only 7 patients, candidiasis was suspected on endoscopy before mycologic proof. Only 4 of these 7 patients were correctly diagnosed with biliary candidiasis by simple morphologic aspects. The fungus was mainly differentiated as Candida albicans or Candida glabrata and rarely as Candida parapsilosis, Candida tropicalis, or other subspecies. Immunosuppression for various reasons was significantly associated with bile-duct candidiasis (P < .02). No significant association was found between positive fungal cultures and prior endoscopic sphincterotomy (P = .0824) or prior ERCP (P = .1152). Biliary candidiasis was neither associated with positive fungal cultures of buccal smears (P = .0722) nor with positive findings in stool samples (P = .0860).

Highly selected patient population. Buccal smears and stool samples were not obtained from all patients. Contamination artifacts cannot totally be excluded with the ERCP procedure.

Candida species very frequently can be detected in the bile. Positive fungal cultures of bile samples are not just contamination artifacts. This has to be taken into account when designing an anti-infectious treatment for recurrent cholangitis or even more cholangiosepsis. Especially in immunosuppressed patients or recipients of long-term antibiotic therapy, physicians should screen for biliary-tract candidiasis during endoscopic examination.