A case report of Klebsiella aerogenes-caused lumbar spine infection identified by metagenome next-generation sequencing

BACKGROUND: The early clinical diagnosis of spinal infections in elderly patients with recessive or atypical symptoms is difficult. Klebsiella aerogenes is a common opportunistic bacterium that can infect the respiratory tract, urinary tract, and even the central nervous system. However, whether it can infect the lumbar spine has not been previously described. CASE PRESENTATION: In this paper, we report the case of a 69-year-old female patient with osteoporosis who was initially diagnosed with hemolytic anemia. Later, she was diagnosed with K. aerogenes infection of the lumbar spine based on imaging combined with blood culture and metagenome next-generation sequencing (mNGS) detection. After precise medication, the lumbar degeneration was improved. CONCLUSIONS: Bacterial infection should therefore be considered in cases of lumbar degenerative disease in middle-aged and elderly patients. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12879-022-07583-0.