Melampsora spondylitis presenting with unexplained low back pain: A case report.

BACKGROUND

Spondylitis is a spinal infection which has been increasing in susceptible populations globally. This disease is caused by various microorganisms. Fungal spondylitis is rare in clinical practice and is strongly associated with immunosuppression and diabetes. Here, we report a case of suspected ca Melampsora spondylitis.

CASE PRESENTATION: A patient was suspected with Melampsora spondylitis at the L3-S1 level. The patient received two surgical operations and antifungal treatments. The next-generation sequencing (NGS) analysis of the tissue specimen obtained during the two surgical procedures confirmed the diagnosis of Melampsora spondylitis. The patient was successfully treated with voriconazole, vancomycin, and meropenem following surgical debridement with pedicle screw internal fixation.

CONCLUSION

The diagnosis of fungal spondylitis is often delayed or missed. Physicians should consider fungal spondylitis in the differential diagnosis of neck pain to facilitate early treatment and prevent spinal cord injury and disability. Although fungal infections often occur in immunocompromised patients, fungal spondylitis has also been reported in immunocompetent patients in recent years. In addition, Candida albicans is usually considered a common bacterium in fungal spondylitis. This case underscores the need to develop more advanced diagnostic and therapeutic techniques to identify the pathogenic bacteria associated with fungal spondylitis besides Candida albicans.