Table 1.
Sources of infection and associated microbiology in patients diagnosed with a brain abscess
| Underlying conditions | Infectious pathogens |
|---|---|
| Penetrating trauma or post-neurosurgical procedures | Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Enterobacter spp. |
| Clostridium spp. | |
| Staphylococcus aureus | |
| Staphylococcus epidermidis | |
| Otitis media or otomastoiditis | Bacteroides spp. |
| Prevotella spp. | |
| Fusobacterium spp. | |
| Streptococcus pneumoniae | |
| Haemophilus influenzae | |
| Streptococcus milleri | |
| Dental infections | Fusobacterium necrophorum |
| Actinomyces spp. | |
| Bacteroides spp. | |
| Peptostreptococcus | |
| Immunocompromised persons (HIV/AIDS) | Nocardia spp. |
| Listeria monocytogenes, Cryptococcus neoformans | |
| Trypanosoma cruzi | |
| Mycobacterium tuberculosis | |
| Toxoplasma gondii | |
| Pseudomona pseudomallei | |
| Talaromycosis | |
| Paranasal sinusitisa | Streptococcus spp. and Prevotella spp. |
| Lung abscess and/or empyema | Fusobacterium spp. |
| Actinomyces spp. | |
| Nocardia spp. | |
| Prevotella spp. | |
| Streptocci spp (e.g.. Viridans group Streptococci) | |
| Bacterial endocarditis | Staphylococcus aureus |
| Viridians group Streptococci (e.g., Streptococcus mitis) | |
| Streptococcus spp. |
Adapted and modified from Franco-Paredes, C. Academic Press, Elsevier 2016, P. 24. [60]
a
Paranasal sinusitis may be associated with suppurative intracranial infection