Mycoplasma hominis Lumbar Wound Infection After Posterior Decompression and Instrumented Fusion: A Case Report.

CASE: A 63-year-old man underwent L2-S1 decompression and fusion for spinal stenosis. He developed urinary retention postoperatively requiring catheterization. He developed fever, purulence, and foot-drop 8 days postoperatively and underwent debridement with implant retention. Cultures yielded Mycoplasma hominis after 10 days. He received 4 weeks of doxycycline. Four years postoperatively, he had no recurrence of infection and was able to ambulate despite a persistent foot-drop. CONCLUSION: Mycoplasma hominis is a urogenital commensal rarely implicated in musculoskeletal infections. A high index of suspicion is required in spinal surgery patients who develop fever and purulence and have initial negative cultures and poor response to empirical antibiotics.

Cryptococcosis mimicking lung carcinoma with brain metastases in an immunocompetent patient.

Cryptococcosis is a fungal infection caused by Cryptococcus spp. that enters the body via inhalation. This ubiquitous yeast has gained notoriety as an opportunistic pathogen in the immunosuppressed population. The authors report a case of a previously-well adult male presented with left-sided weakness. Imaging demonstrated a pulmonary mass and 2 contrast-enhancing intracranial lesions-all features suggestive of a primary lung carcinoma with brain metastases. However, further investigations confirmed disseminated cryptococcosis, without evidence of malignancy. The patient was successfully treated with a course of antifungals. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first reported case of dissemintated cryptococcosis in an immunocompetent adult male, simulating as primary lung carcinoma with brain metastases.