A woman got a UTI. Two years later, the bacteria had evolved, invaded her brain.
A medical case report details a 63-year-old woman whose urinary tract infection evolved into a metastatic brain abscess caused by Klebsiella pneumoniae. This rare case highlights the ability of common bacteria to adapt and invade distant organs within a patient.
Why it matters
The case underscores the evolving nature of bacterial infections and the critical importance of monitoring for heterovirulence in clinical settings.
Alarming A woman got a UTI. Two years later, the bacteria had evolved, invaded her brain. The case provides a novel report of the emergence of heterovirulence.
13 Klebsiella pneumoniae. Credit: CDC Klebsiella pneumoniae. Credit: CDC Text settings Story text Size Small Standard Large Width * Standard Wide Links Standard Orange * Subscribers only Learn more Minimize to nav A 63-year-old woman arrived at a hospital in pain. She had abruptly lost vision in her right eye. As doctors got to work, the series of findings that followed revealed not just bad news for her, but an alarming revelation of how infections can evolve within a patient.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in