WashU Medicine Infectious Diseases Fellows Prashanth Reddy, MD, and Justin Klucher, MD, recently participated in the semimar “Challenging ID Case Presentation 2026.” Hosted by the Infectious Disease Society of St. Louis (IDSTL), this annual event emphasizes the importance of clinical reasoning through real-world infectious disease cases presented by regional ID fellows. Reddy and Kulcher’s presentations were among five chosen by the IDSTL, highlighting complex diagnostic challenges, management dilemmas, and evidence-based decision-making in action. WashU Medicine peers and faculty, including Darcy Wooten, MD, MS, professor of medicine and director of ID fellowship program, were among the attendees.
In “What Lurks Within the Mind of a Restaurant Employee?” Reddy focused on a young immunocompetent immigrant male from Central America who presented with new-onset facial palsy and a solitary intracranial lesion. He discussed the diagnostic challenges and the ultimate identification of a tapeworm infection causing the lesion.
Klucher presented “Hate to Burst Your Bubble…,” a case involving a child with pleuritic chest pain and a pulmonary mass noted on imaging. Kulcher discussed the careful history-taking required to determine the cause of the cystic appearance and septated daughter cysts suggestive of Echinococcus disease. He described the global network of expertise relied upon in the management and surgical removal of the cysts, as well as the complications of cyst rupture encountered before removal.
Reddy is a first-year fellow in the WashU Medicine Division of Infectious Diseases. He is interested in pursuing a career in General ID and STIs. Klucher is working towards a combined fellowship in Internal Medicine and Pediatric Infectious Diseases and will join the ID Division in 2027 after completing his work with the Pediatric ID Division.
Continuing Medical Education (CME) Credit
In support of its mission to promote professional education, cooperation and fellowship among its members, and to provide members with new information and techniques in the treatment of infectious diseases, IDSTL offers CME credit for attending this event.