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.
In 2021, a 63-year-old woman sought medical attention at a hospital, experiencing sudden vision loss in her right eye. As medical professionals examined her condition, they encountered a concerning sequence of developments that highlighted the potential for infections to evolve within patients. The woman's case, detailed in a recent report in the New England Journal of Medicine, revealed an alarming progression of her illness.
Upon conducting magnetic resonance imaging scans of her brain, the medical team quickly noticed signs of inflammation in her right eye, as well as lesions within her brain. These findings suggested issues in her parietal lobe, an area responsible for processing sensory information. Doctors suspected she may have a brain abscess.
Further laboratory tests on her blood and urine revealed an infection, alongside kidney problems. To confirm the diagnosis, doctors opted for a brain biopsy. Inside the brain tissue, they encountered pus. Simultaneously, doctors worked to identify the specific bacteria responsible for the infection by analyzing two urine samples.
Written by urgent.news from Ars Technica Health's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
