A kidney transplant recipient with shingles and necrotizing bacterial superinfection: a case report

Frontiers in Medicine 2026 Open access

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Authors: Anna Garstenauer, Raffael Scharinger, Christof Aigner, Florina Regele, Constantin Aschauer, Anselm Jorda, Georg Gelbenegger, Farsad Alexander Eskandary
DOI: 10.3389/fmed.2026.1731010
Cited by: 1
References: 1

Abstract

We report a 45-year-old kidney transplant recipient who developed primary varicella zoster virus infection complicated by monomicrobial necrotizing skin and soft tissue infection caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa . Progressive facial and oropharyngeal edema led to airway compromise requiring endotracheal intubation. Blood and wound cultures grew Pseudomonas aeruginosa , and targeted therapy with meropenem resulted in clinical improvement. The patient recovered with preserved allograft function but was left with residual facial nerve palsy. Pseudomonas aeruginosa –associated monomicrobial necrotizing skin and soft tissue infections are rare, occur predominantly in immunocompromised patients, and can be life-threatening.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Infections and bacterial resistance Otolaryngology and Infectious Diseases Autoimmune and Inflammatory Disorders

Publication details

Journal / source
Frontiers in Medicine
Publisher
Frontiers Media SA
Volume
13
Pages
1731010–1731010
Publication date
20 February 2026
Language
EN