Spondylodiscitis Following Oxygen-Ozone Therapy: A Case Report of Lactobacillus iners Infection and a Systematic...

Oxygen-ozone (O₂-O₃) therapy is a minimally invasive treatment for discogenic lumbar pain. Although rare, spinal infections-specifically spondylodiscitis-have been reported following intradiscal injections. To date, Lactobacillus iners has not been described as a causative agent in this context.

A 55-year-old immunocompetent woman presented with progressive lumbosciatica and elevated inflammatory markers three months after intradiscal O₂-O₃ therapy. MRI revealed L4-L5 spondylodiscitis with paravertebral involvement. Surgical biopsy confirmed L. iners as the pathogen. She underwent decompression and received targeted intravenous antibiotics, achieving full clinical and radiological recovery.

A systematic literature review was performed using PubMed, MEDLINE, and Scopus to identify reports of spondylodiscitis following oxygen-ozone therapy. Six cases were included based on predefined inclusion criteria.

The 8 identified cases involved a range of pathogens, including Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus beta-haemolyticus, Escherichia coli, Achromobacter xylosoxidans, Mycobacterium abscessus, and Streptococcus intermedius, and one culture-negative infection. Clinical presentations varied from radiculopathy to sepsis. Management strategies encompassed both conservative (antibiotics alone) and surgical approaches, depending on neurological status and abscess formation. Outcomes were favorable in all cases except one fatality.

This report is the first to describe L. iners spondylodiscitis in an immunocompetent patient following O₂-O₃ therapy. Clinicians should vigilantly evaluate post-infiltration spinal infections, maintain a low threshold for imaging and biopsy, and implement pathogen-targeted antibiotic regimens, with surgical intervention as needed.