Klebsiella Discitis in a 15-Year-Old Male Diagnosed With Plasma Microbial Cell-Free DNA Next-Generation Sequencing Test: A Case Report

Spinal discitis (SD) is a rare condition, particularly in the pediatric population. The course of SD may be acute or chronic, and the non-specificity of symptoms leads to great delays in diagnosis. The most commonly isolated causative organism is Staphylococcus aureus whereas gram-negative infections are hardly ever reported in the literature. Comorbidities that increase the risk of bacteremia such as diabetes, chronic kidney disease, HIV, and cancer are major risk factors for SD. Hereby, we present an atypical case of SD in a previously healthy 15-year-old male with an unusual organism, Klebsiella aerogenes, diagnosed by plasma microbial cell-free DNA with negative blood cultures. The clinical course was complicated by antibiotic resistance and subsequent development of a ventral epidural abscess requiring readmission followed by surgical drainage of the abscess with a prolonged course of antibiotics.