Beyond Candida: A clinical insight into rare fungal pyelonephritis in urological practice

Introduction: fungal pyelonephritis in urological practice. Material and methods: were included. Data on clinical features, comorbidities, imaging findings, microbiology, intraoperative observations, treatment modalities, and outcomes were reviewed. Diagnosis was confirmed through culture and/or histopathology, and management was coordinated with infectious disease specialists. Results: infection. Diabetes mellitus was the predominant comorbidity (3/4), and two patients had a history of prior urological instrumentation. Presentations ranged from incidental findings to pyelonephritis with fever and flank pain. Individualized management included minimally invasive percutaneous nephrolithotomy, pyeloplasty, percutaneous nephrostomy insertion, or nephrectomy. All patients responded to therapy, with infection clearance and preserved or improved renal function on follow-up. No mortality was observed. Conclusions: fungal pyelonephritis, though rare, requires early diagnosis and individualized surgical and antifungal management. Multidisciplinary collaboration ensures favourable outcomes and renal preservation.