Unusual Liver Mass in an Immunocompetent Adult: A Case Report and Literature Review

A hepatic abscess is a rare disease, especially in developed countries, and usually results from microbial contamination of liver parenchyma via an arterial or portal system or from a direct spread by contiguity. Pyogenic liver abscesses (PLA) are polymicrobial with Staphylococcus aureus accounting for less than 10% of the cases and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) accounting for even fewer. Colonic and hepatobiliary pathologies are often associated with reported MRSA abscesses. We report a case of MRSA bacteremia and liver abscess in an immunocompetent patient with no significant risk factors. Our patient presented with fever and abdominal pain of four days' duration. Laboratory studies revealed neutrophilic leukocytosis, elevated creatinine, c-reactive protein, and transaminitis. Blood culture was positive for MRSA. Computed tomography (CT) of the abdomen showed multiple areas of hypodensities over the left hepatic lobe that placed malignancy and abscess into the main differentials. A liver biopsy was consistent with liver abscess. Drainage was performed after a month of treatment with intravenous (IV) daptomycin and microbial analysis of the abscess was negative. Our case signifies the association of liver abscess and MRSA bacteremia in a patient with no significant risk factors and highlights the importance of prompt antibiotic treatment as first-line therapy.