A case report of liver abscesses caused by Fusobacterium necrophorum in immunocompetent patient and review of the literature

BACKGROUND: Fusobacterium necrophorum is an anaerobic Gram-negative bacterium that can lead to opportunistic infections, including Lemierre's syndrome and less common presentations of metastatic diseases. However, liver abscesses infected by Fusobacterium necrophorum in clinical settings are rarely reported, particularly in people with normal immune function. CASE PRESENTATION: A 35-year-old Chinese man was admitted with hyperthermia and abdominal pain that had persisted for three days. The patient continued to have a fever with a maximum temperature of 39.8 °C during hospitalization. Computed Tomography revealed multiple low-density lesions in the liver, which were diagnosed as liver abscesses caused by Fusobacterium necrophorum infection through blood culture and anaerobic liver abscess fluid culture. After simple local percutaneous abscess drainage and effective anti-infective therapy, the patient achieved complete remission. CONCLUSIONS: Results of our literature search query revealed rare reports of liver abscesses infected by Fusobacterium necrophorum. We recommend that Fusobacterium necrophorum infection be considered in diagnosis special situations of liver abscess.