Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Case Reports
. 2016 Nov 2;2(4):20150370.
doi: 10.1259/bjrcr.20150370. eCollection 2016.

Actinomycotic brain abscess

Maryam Rahiminejad  1 , Harutomo Hasegawa  1 , Marios Papadopoulos  1 , Andrew MacKinnon  2
Affiliations
Case Reports

Actinomycotic brain abscess

Maryam Rahiminejad et al. BJR Case Rep. .

Abstract

Actinomycosis is caused by Gram-positive filamentous anaerobic organisms of genus Actinomyces, which are commensals of mucosal membranes of the oropharyngeal cavity, and gastrointestinal and genitourinary tracts. Central nervous system involvement is rare and may present as cerebral abscess, meningitis, meningoencephalitis, subdural empyema or epidural abscess. The radiological appearances of actinomycotic brain abscesses are not well recognized. Here, we present the characteristic imaging features of an actinomycotic brain abscess.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
There is a large, peripherally enhancing thick-walled lesion in the left temporal lobe. The lesion comprises a larger cavity posteriorly and grape-like clustering anteriorly (arrow). The wall is T2 hypointense and T1 hyperintense (arrowhead). The contents of the lesion show restricted diffusion, which is consistent with an abscess. The diagnosis is suggested by the grape-like cluster pattern with a T2 hypointense wall, which is a characteristic feature of an actinomycotic abscess. DWI, diffusion-weighted imaging.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Axial T2 and diffusion-weighted MRI in a 60-year-old male with an actinomycotic brain abscess in the right parietal lobe with surrounding oedema. There is grape-like clustering with a T2 hypointense thick wall. The contents show restricted diffusion.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Omuro AM, Leite CC, Mokhtari K, Delattre JY. Pitfalls in the diagnosis of brain tumours. Lancet Neurol 2006; 5: 937–48. - PubMed
    1. Valour F, Sénéchal A, Dupieux C, Karsenty J, Lustig S, Breton P, et al. . Actinomycosis: etiology, clinical features, diagnosis, treatment, and management. Infect Drug Resist 2014; 7: 183–97. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Sreedevi M, Ramesh A, Dwarakanath C. Periodontal status in smokers and nonsmokers: a clinical, microbiological, and histopathological study. Int J Dent 2012; 2012 - PMC - PubMed
    1. Wang S, Wolf RL, Woo JH, Wang J, O'Rourke DM, Roy S, et al. . Actinomycotic brain infection: registered diffusion, perfusion MR imaging and MR spectroscopy. Neuroradiology 2006; 48: 346–50. - PubMed
    1. Heo SH, Shin SS, Kim JW, Lim HS, Seon HJ, Jung SI, et al. . Imaging of actinomycosis in various organs: a comprehensive review. Radiographics 2014; 34: 19–33. - PubMed

Publication types