Yersinia pseudotuberculosis aortitis in a patient with diverticulosis and polycystic kidney disease

An 81-year-old gentleman with chronic kidney disease presented with pyrexia and a new systolic cardiac murmur. Investigations revealed infective aortitis of a pre-existing aortic aneurysm graft repair. Peripheral blood cultures were positive for Yersinia pseudotuberculosis and the patient was successfully treated with an extended course of antibiotics. Abdominal imaging also revealed progressive bilateral polycystic kidney disease with associated diverticular disease, which was postulated as the source of the Y. pseudotuberculosis. An autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease may present late in life and extra-renal manifestations of this disease are an important cause of morbidity.