Hepatic abscess caused by Fusobacterium necrophorum after a trip to the dentist

Abstract

A 57-year-old man with no significant medical history was admitted to the hospital, with high-grade fever and right upper quadrant pain. He was found, on abdominal ultrasound, to have a right lobe hepatic cystic lesion. MRI of the abdomen confirmed a hepatic abscess. Cultures obtained under CT guidance showed the abscess to be caused by Fusobacterium necrophorum. This is a rare bacterium that can cause potentially fatal liver abscesses. Following drainage and intravenous antibiotic treatment, the patient improved and was discharged on a 4-week antibiotic course. An abdominal CT, performed 6 weeks after discharge, showed total resolution of the abscess. The patient had, 2 weeks prior to the development of the liver abscess, undergone routine dental cleaning. Neither upper respiratory symptoms nor sore throat had been identified prior to the presentation.