A Case of Liver Abscess Caused byFusobacterium nucleatumin a Patient with Recurrent Periodontal Diseases

Abstract

Fusobacteria are anaerobic gram-negative, non-spore forming bacilli found in normal flora of the oral cavity, urogenital tract, and gastrointestinal tract. Fusobacterium nucleatum has been seldom reported as a cause of liver abscess, particularly in immunocompetent hosts. A 55-year-old man with frequent periodontal disease visited our hospital with intermittent fever and headache for 2 months. Abdominal CT scan revealed an 8.2×6 cm mass in the right hepatic lobe with central low density. Abscess culture revealed F. nucleatum as the causative organism. Percutaneous abscess drainage and intravenous administration of antibiotics for 4 weeks improved symptoms and decreased the abscess size. We report a rare case of liver abscess due to F. nucleatum in an immunocompetent man with periodontal disease.

Rectal cancer presenting as Fusobacterium nucleatum pyogenic liver abscess: A case report

“…It is one of the most common oral species isolated from extra-oral infections such as blood, brain, lung, liver, joints, abdominal, obstetrical and gynaecological infections and abscesses. It has recently been reported as a cause of liver abscess in a patient suffering from recurrent periodontal disease [4]. We report the first case of F. nucleatum pyogenic liver abscess as the initial presentation of a rectosigmoid carcinoma.…”

Antimicrobial Photodynamic Efficiency of Novel Cationic Porphyrins towards Periodontal Gram‐positive and Gram‐negative Pathogenic Bacteria

“…It is one of the most common oral species isolated from extra‐oral infections, such as blood, brain, lung, liver, joints, abdominal, obstetrical and gynecological infections and abscesses. Recent reports reveal that this bacterium causes liver abscess in patients suffering from recurrent periodontal disease . Enterococcus faecalis is a Gram‐positive pathogenic bacteria usually found in the tooth caries of patients that survives and grows within the dentinal tubules and reinfects an obturated root canal.…”

Oral health protocol for liver transplant patients

“…Several periodontopathic bacterial species in the PLA were identified, including Fusobacterium nucleatum, Treponema denticola, Prevotella intermedia and Porphyromonas gingivalis [9]. Another case reported that Fusobacterium nucleatum was the etiologic agent for LPA in an immunocompetent patient with periodontal disease [10].…”

“…Other complications, such as brain and liver pyogenic abscess, have also been related to oral infections [8][9][10][11]. Although approximately 50% of pyogenic liver abscess (PLA) cases are considered as cryptogenic, PLA formation is generally attributed to the transmission of infection via three major routes: biliary tract, portal vein, and hepatic artery [9].…”

“…The attention to oral complications in liver transplant candidates is justified by several reasons: cirrhotic patients generally use multi-drug therapy which can reduce salivary flow and contribute to periodontal disease, caries, candidiasis and other oral lesions [48]; the main cause of liver disease in Brazil and in many part of the world is cirrhosis due to Hepatitic C Virus (HCV) infection followed by Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) which are associated with reduced salivary flow and untreated dental conditions or personal behaviors that are risk factors for dental diseases [4,26,27,49]; oral infection may decompensate cirrhosis and may contribute to the development of PH complications such as hepatic encephalopathy and hepatorenal syndrome; if preventive actions for oral health are not effective, the treatment of oral foci generally requires hospitalization and transoperative blood requirements [4,25]; studies has demonstrated the relationship between oral health and systemic health [4,[6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13] and the economic impact of oral complications is too high in cirrhotic patients [4,47].…”