Fulminant Emphysematous Pyelonephritis by <b><i>Candida glabrata</i></b> in a Kidney Allograft

Abstract

Emphysematous pyelonephritis (EPN) is a rare and serious necrotizing infection that is potentially life-threatening. It has been seldom reported in kidney grafts and is usually caused by Gram-negative bacteria, with some case reports caused by anaerobic bacteria, and has been closely associated with poorly controlled diabetes mellitus (DM) and urinary tract structural abnormalities. There are no reports of EPN of fungal etiology in kidney grafts. We present a case of a 53-year-old kidney transplant recipient with a history of DM, active vesicoureteral reflux, and recurrent urinary tract infections who developed EPN in the kidney allograft caused by Candida glabrata, 3 weeks after starting treatment with empagliflozin, with an aggressive course that required urgent transplant nephrectomy.