Intracerebral coinfection with Burkholderia pseudomallei and Cryptococcus neoformans in a patient with systemic lupus erythematosus.

Infections are a serious complication in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and are an important cause of morbidity and mortality. SLE patients are particularly susceptible to infection due to immune suppression from underlying disease or treatment. Most infections are due to common bacterial organisms. Clinicians also need to be aware of the possibility of polymicrobial infections as these may cause diagnostic delay and affect outcomes. We report the case of an intra-cerebral coinfection with Burkholderia pseudomallei and Cryptococcus neoformans in a 34-year-old woman with SLE. The diagnosis in this case was delayed since coinfection was not suspected.