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J Med Microbiol 57 (2008), 1259-1268; DOI: 10.1099/jmm.0.47814-0
© 2008 Society for General Microbiology
ISSN 1473-5644

Current epidemiology of intracranial abscesses: a prospective 5 year study

Sarala Menon1, Renu Bharadwaj1, Abhay Chowdhary1, D. V. Kaundinya1 and D. A. Palande2

1 Department of Microbiology, Grant Medical College and Sir J. J. Hospital, Mumbai 400008, India

2 Department of Neurosurgery, Grant Medical College and Sir J. J. Hospital, Mumbai 400008, India

Correspondence
Sarala Menon
saralagopalmenon{at}yahoo.co.in

Received 10 December 2007
Accepted 1 June 2008

Intracranial abscesses remain a significant health-care problem in developing countries. In view of this, we undertook a comprehensive study to determine the demographics and bacteriological spectrum of brain abscesses in our hospital. Bacteriological profiles and antibiograms were studied by conventional microbiological methods. Seventy-five patients were admitted with brain abscesses over a 5 year period (2001–2005). There was 9.5 % mortality in patients included in this study. The most important factors influencing mortality from intracranial abscess were the age and neurological condition of the patient at the time of admission. Brain abscess could develop at any age but there was a preponderance of males over females. Chronic suppurative otitis media was the most common predisposing factor for temporal lobe infections. Forty-one (54.70 %) abscesses were found to be due to pyogenic organisms, 4 % due to Mycobacterium tuberculosis and 1.3 % were due to Cladophialophora bantiana. The majority of microbial isolates were sensitive to the therapeutic regime adopted in our neurosurgery unit (cefotaxime, gentamicin and metronidazole). Chloramphenicol is another antibiotic with in vitro activity against the isolates.

Abbreviations: CHD, congenital heart defect; CSOM, chronic suppurative otitis media; ZN, Ziehl–Neelsen.






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