Acute renal failure caused by Klebsiella pneumoniae pyelonephritis

We report a 34-year-old male patient without prior medical history who presented with acute renal failure due to acute bacterial pyelonephritis. Both blood and urine cultures grew Klebsiella pneumoniae. Although a kidney biopsy revealed extensive necrosis and no viable glomeruli, renal function recovered to near normal after intermittent hemodialysis and antibiotic therapy. We believe that it is important to include this entity in the differential diagnosis of acute renal failure since proper diagnosis and treatment is essential for recovery of renal function. Furthermore, we would like to draw attention to Klebsiella pneumoniae as an important potential pathogen in such cases, in addition to Escherichia coli.