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Abstract
This case report outlines the diagnostic and therapeutic challenges encountered in a man in his 70s suffering from knee septic arthritis caused by Aspergillus niger. It is the second published case in the literature with osteoarticular infection from A. niger and the first one in the last 40 years. Following knee arthroscopy, the patient experienced persistent pain, swelling and discomfort, prompting further investigation. Postoperative knee cultures were negative for infection, but symptoms were not ameliorated. Therefore, an arthroscopic debridement was performed that revealed severe joint inflammation and degeneration. Cultures from the synovial fluid and tissue samples identified infection from A. niger sp. Antimicrobial treatment with voriconazole finally led to significant clinical improvement and eradication of infection. This case highlights the intricacies involved in diagnosing and managing fungal osteoarticular infections in healthy patients without concomitant medical diseases or comorbidities.
- Drug therapy related to surgery
- Bone and joint infections
- Drugs: infectious diseases
- Orthopaedics
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Footnotes
Contributors FA, AN, T-AV, MB, PG, BC were responsible for drafting of the text, sourcing and editing of clinical images, investigation of the results, drawing original diagrams and algorithms, and critical revision for important intellectual content. FA, AN, T-AV, MB, PG, BC gave final approval of the manuscript.
Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.
Case reports provide a valuable learning resource for the scientific community and can indicate areas of interest for future research. They should not be used in isolation to guide treatment choices or public health policy.
Competing interests None declared.
Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.