Anaerobic Brain Abscess: A Report of 4 Cases / 第三军医大学学报

ABSTRACT

This article is to report 4 cases of brain abscess of mixed anaerobic and aerobic infection.Six strains of anaerobic bacteria were discovered, and they included 2 strains of other Bacteroides, 2 strains of Peptostreptococcus, 1 strain of Bacteroides melaninogenicus and 1 strain of Bacteroides fragilis. Four strains of aerobic bacteria including 2 strains of Proteus vulgaris, one strain of Hemophilus influenzae and one strain of Acinetobacter calcaaceticus var. Iwoffi were also discovered.Brain abscess due to anaerobic organisms was compared with three cases of brain abscess due to Staphylococcus aureus. The former usually was more chronic and presented a solitary abscess while the latter was more acute in course and presented multiple abscesses with multilocular construction.The only method to differentiate these two kinds of brain abscess is to reveal the anaerobic organisms with anaerobic culture. Surgical drainage and resection of the abscess cavity if possible combined with proper antibacterial drugs can yield good results.