Klebsiella pneumoniae invasive syndrome with liver abscess and purulent meningitis presenting as acute hemiplegia: a case report

BACKGROUND: Klebsiella pneumoniae can infect a variety of sites, with the risk of infection being higher in the immunocompromised state such as diabetes mellitus. A distinct invasive syndrome has been detected mostly in Southeast Asia in the past two decades. A common destructive complication is pyogenic liver abscess that can be complicated by metastatic endophthalmitis as well as the involvement of the central nervous system, causing purulent meningitis or brain abscess. CASE PRESENTATION: We report a rare case of an invasive liver abscess caused by K. pneumoniae, with metastatic infections of meninges. A 68-year-old man with type 2 diabetes mellitus presented to our emergency department as sepsis. Sudden disturbed consciousness was noticed with presentation of acute hemiplegia and gaze preference mimicking a cerebrovascular accident. CONCLUSIONS: The above case adds to the scarce literature on K. pneumoniae invasive syndrome with liver abscess and purulent meningitis. K. pneumoniae is a rare cause of meningitis and should raise suspicions about the disease in febrile individuals. In particular, Asian patients with diabetes presenting with sepsis and hemiplegia prompt a more thorough evaluation with aggressive treatment. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12879-023-08383-w.