First Case of Cutaneous Coinfection with Aspergillus flavus and Klebsiella pneumoniae: Case Report and Literature Review
<b>Background and Clinical Significance:</b> Cutaneous aspergillosis caused by <i>Aspergillus flavus</i> is rare and coinfection with <i>Klebsiella pneumoniae</i> was reported only in pulmonary disease. <b>Case Presentation:</b> We describe a 57-year-old woman with no prior comorbidities who developed septic shock requiring intensive care, broad-spectrum antibiotics, corticosteroids, and renal replacement therapy. Six days after discharge, she was readmitted with fever, leukopenia, thrombocytopenia, cavitary lung lesions, and multiple erythematous nodules on the limbs and mammary regions. Bronchial aspirate cultures detected <i>K. pneumoniae</i>, while progressive cutaneous lesions required surgical debridement. Histopathology revealed angioinvasive septate hyphae, and MALDI-TOF identified <i>A. flavus</i>. The <i>K. pneumoniae</i> strain was extensively drug resistant; <i>A. flavus</i> was susceptible only to azoles. Despite targeted therapy, lesions progressed requiring bilateral mastectomy. <b>Conclusions:</b> This case illustrates a previously unreported scenario in which secondary immunosuppression after severe sepsis led to concurrent cutaneous <i>A. flavus</i> infection and extensively drug-resistant (XDR) <i>K. pneumoniae</i>. Early recognition of mixed fungal-bacterial infections is essential for appropriate management.
Authors
- Adrian Silviu Crişan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0002-4374-4248)
- Simona Maria Borta (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2512-2691)
- Cristina Petrine
- Lavinia Palaghian
- Cosmin Catalin Bacean
- Zsolt Gyori
- Romana Olivia Popetiu
- Melani Zarici
Institutions
- Arad County Clinical Hospital (RO)
- Spitalul Clinic Judeţean de Urgenţă "Pius Brînzeu" Timişoara (RO)
- Vasile Goldis Western University of Arad (RO)
- Spitalul Clinic Dr. Victor Babes (RO)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Diagnostics
- Published
- 2026-01-07
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3390/diagnostics16020183
- Primary Topic
- Antifungal resistance and susceptibility
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00