Concurrent M. tuberculosis, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Candida albicans infection in liver metastasis of bowel carcinoma

Abstract

We describe the case of a 62-year-old patient with fever and abdominal pain of the right upper quadrant with a known history of adenocarcinoma of the colon and presence of hepatic metastases. One of the liver lesions underwent aspiration, and pus was sent for microbiological testing. Cultures of the pus were positive for Klebsiella pneumoniae and Candida albicans and polymerase chain reaction for Mycobacterium tuberculosis was concurrently positive; the patient received treatment for all three pathogens and improved clinically. One may consider searching not only for the usual pathogens of liver abscesses (gram-negative bacteria, anaerobic bacteria and gram-positive bacteria), but in special cases might consider pursuing a more detailed search for coexistence of fungi and mycobacteria in patients with cancer.