Brain Abscess Caused by Enterococcus avium: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Brain abscesses can be highly lethal if appropriate treatment is not administered, and reports of such an abscess caused by Enterococcus avium are very rare. Here,we report a case of a 48-year-old man presenting with chronic otitis media. He initially presented with a headache and right otalgia. An otoscopic evaluation performed on the day of admission showed exudation of fresh pus from the right ear. Brain magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated a hypodense area in the right temporoparietal lobe, suggestive of a brain abscess. A culturing of the ear discharge and brain abscess aspirate proved of E. avium infection. Following stereotactic aspiration of the brain abscess and proper antimicrobial treatment, the patient recovered completely. In this report, we also review and discuss the available medical literature on previous cases of E. avium infection associated with brain abscess.