Anaerobic brain abscess

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Brain abscess remains a potentially fatal central nervous system (CNS) disease, especially in developing countries. Anaerobic abscess is difficult to diagnose because of cumbersome procedures associated with the isolation of anaerobes. MATERIALS AND METHODS This is a hospital-based retrospective microbiological analysis of 430 brain abscess materials (purulent aspirates and/or tissue), for anaerobic organisms, that were received between 1987-2014, by the Microbiology Laboratory in our Institute. RESULTS Culture showed growth of bacteria 116/430 (27%) of the cases of which anaerobes were isolated in 48/116 (41.1%) of the cases. Peptostreptococcus (51.4 %), was the predominant organism isolated in four cases followed by Bacteroides and Peptococcus species. CONCLUSION Early diagnosis and detection of these organisms would help in the appropriate management of these patients.