Cryptogenic liver abscess caused by a K1 serotype Klebsiella pneumoniae isolate

We report a 56-year-old Hispanic female with no previous intra-abdominal pathology and no recent travel, who presented with subacute abdominal pain and developed bacteremia and monomicrobial pyogenic liver abscess due to a community-acquired K1 serotype K. pneumoniae isolate. In this case, the infection was recognized early, so the patient was successfully treated with percutaneous drainage and prolonged antibiotic therapy. Hvkp can cause severe invasive disease with high morbidity and mortality, and the recent emergence of multidrug resistance in these strains poses a serious threat to public health. In addition, the isolation of a K1 K. pneumoniae strain from a cryptogenic liver abscess in a Hispanic patient with no epidemiologic risk factors raises concern for a wider spread of the hypervirulent strain beyond Asian populations. Therefore, a high index of suspicion for hvKp infection in the Hispanic population can be crucial as the hypervirulent strain is likely to cause severe metastatic infection with significant morbidity and mortality.
Source: Journal of Global Infectious Diseases - Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Source Type: research