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CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Asian J Neurosurg 2025; 20(02): 383-386
DOI: 10.1055/s-0045-1802624
Case Report

Aspergillus terreus Fungal Spondylodiscitis in a Healthy Patient Post-Lumbar Spine Surgery: A Rare Case Report

Raghava D. Mulukutla
1   Department of Spine Surgery, Udai Omni Hospital, Hyderabad, Telangana, India
,
Phani Krishna Karthik Yelamarthy
1   Department of Spine Surgery, Udai Omni Hospital, Hyderabad, Telangana, India
,
Thiruvoipati Venkata Krishna Narayan
1   Department of Spine Surgery, Udai Omni Hospital, Hyderabad, Telangana, India
,
Ambadas Kathare
1   Department of Spine Surgery, Udai Omni Hospital, Hyderabad, Telangana, India
,
Vijay V. Yeldandi 
2   Division of Infectious Diseases, University of Illinois, Chicago, Illinois, United States
› Institutsangaben
Funding None.
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Abstract

We present a case of hospital-acquired Aspergillus terreus spondylodiscitis following lumbar spine surgery. The objective is to highlight the need for a high index of suspicion for rare fungal pathogens as causative organisms in postoperative spinal infections. A 39-year-old female underwent posterior decompression, stabilization, and interbody fusion at L4–5. Six weeks post-surgery she developed fever, back pain, and right leg pain. A diagnosis of postoperative spinal infection was made. On exploration and debridement of the wound, the fungal cultures grew positive for A. terreus. She was treated with voriconazole for 6 months. Following debridement and antifungal therapy, symptoms and inflammatory markers subsided over a period of time. There was no recurrence of infection till the last follow-up at three and half years. To the best of our knowledge, this is the only case report of an A. terreus spondylodiscitis following lumbar spine surgery. The possibility of fungal infection should be considered in elderly and immune-compromised patients. In our institution, all postoperative spinal infections, irrespective of age and comorbidities, are subjected to microbiological cultures including fungal cultures and sensitivities. Thorough debridement, involvement of infection control specialists, and use of long-term antifungal therapy help resolve these infections.

Keywords

Aspergillus terreus - fungal infection - spondylodiscitis - surgical site infection - osteomyelitis

Patients' Consent

The authors certify that they have obtained all appropriate patient consent forms. In the form the patient(s) has/have given his/her/their consent for his/her/their images and other clinical information to be reported in the journal. The patients understand that their names and initials will not be published and due efforts will be made to conceal their identity, but anonymity cannot be guaranteed.




Publikationsverlauf

Artikel online veröffentlicht:
10. Februar 2025

© 2025. Asian Congress of Neurological Surgeons. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

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