Emphysematous Pyelonephritis Revealing Underlying Renal Tuberculosis: A Rare and Challenging Association

Emphysematous pyelonephritis (EPN) is a severe, necrotising infection of the renal parenchyma and surrounding tissues, most often accompanied by diabetes mellitus and Gram-negative bacilli. Tuberculosis superinfection is very rare, with only a few cases reported in the literature. We present the case of a 61-year-old woman with multiple comorbidities, in whom emphysematous pyelonephritis (EPN) was primarily due to typical bacterial pathogens and subsequently complicated by a superinfection with <i>Mycobacterium tuberculosis</i>, highlighting the importance of recognizing this unusual secondary infection to avoid unnecessary nephrectomy.

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Journal
Cureus
Published
2025-12-30
DOI
https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.100462
Primary Topic
Infectious Disease Case Reports and Treatments
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
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article

Emphysematous Pyelonephritis Revealing Underlying Renal Tuberculosis: A Rare and Challenging Association

Abdessamade Motaouakil, Anass El Alaoui, Anouar El Moudane, Ali Barki et al.
Cureus
Infectious Disease Case Reports and Treatments
article

Emphysematous Pyelonephritis Revealing Underlying Renal Tuberculosis: A Rare and Challenging Association

Abdessamade Motaouakil, Anass El Alaoui, Anouar El Moudane, Ali Barki, Mohammed Ramdani
article en

Abstract

Emphysematous pyelonephritis (EPN) is a severe, necrotising infection of the renal parenchyma and surrounding tissues, most often accompanied by diabetes mellitus and Gram-negative bacilli. Tuberculosis superinfection is very rare, with only a few cases reported in the literature. We present the case of a 61-year-old woman with multiple comorbidities, in whom emphysematous pyelonephritis (EPN) was primarily due to typical bacterial pathogens and subsequently complicated by a superinfection with <i>Mycobacterium tuberculosis</i>, highlighting the importance of recognizing this unusual secondary infection to avoid unnecessary nephrectomy.

CureusVol. 17(12)
Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Mohammed VI (MA), Mohamed I University (MA)
Good health and well-being
Openalex Percentile: Top 29%
Infectious Disease Case Reports and Treatments
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Emphysematous Pyelonephritis Revealing Underlying Renal Tuberculosis: A Rare and Challenging Association — Abdessamade Motaouakil, Anass El Alaoui, et al. · Cureus (2025) | TGRS Research Map | TGRS