Primary lung abscess due to multidrug-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae

Abstract

Primary lung abscess as a complication of necrotising community-acquired pneumonia due to multidrug-resistant (MDR) Klebsiella pneumoniae is rare. A 63-year-old man with a medical history of type 2 diabetes mellitus and chronic kidney disease was diagnosed with lung abscess due to MDR Klebsiella pneumoniae, a rare organism as a causative agent for community-acquired pneumonia. This unusual case revealed therapeutic challenges faced owing to factors such as drug-resistant pathogen, longer duration of antibiotics required for lung abscess and the chronic kidney status of the patient limiting the dosage of antibiotics. The clinical nuggets discussed in this case might pave the way in the future for management guidelines to be formulated in optimising the selection and duration of therapy for lung abscesses with MDR aetiology and in early recognition of this rare but dreaded entity.

Keywords: diabetes; drugs and medicines; pneumonia (infectious disease); pneumonia (respiratory medicine).