Multi-Organ Abscesses and 5th Cervical Vertebra Bone Destruction Related with Klebsiella ozaenae Infection: A Case Report

Klebsiella ozaenae (K. ozaenae) is a causative pathogen of some rare diseases such as primary atrophic rhinitis and ozena. Here, we describe one case of a potentially lethal kind of K. ozaenae infection in which multiple organs were implicated. A 40-year-old diabetic male patient presented to our hospital due to fever with right anterior chest mass and neck and shoulder pain for half a month. Based on all examination results, he was diagnosed with sepsis, bilateral pulmonary/right chest wall/liver abscesses and 5th cervical vertebra bone destruction with prevertebral abscesses, all related with K. ozaenae infection. During the first time of admission, he was treated with antimicrobials without operations. Twelve days after his first discharge, fever and pain occurred again, the patient was treated with antimicrobials, operations (anterior debridement, spinal canal decompression, iliac bone graft fusion and internal fixation) and rehabilitation at second admission. The patient recovered well and was discharged from hospital. This case report demonstrates that K. ozaenae can trigger a wide range invasive infections. Particularly, 5th cervical vertebra bone destruction was first reported as a clinical manifestation of K. ozaenae infection in our patient.