Korean J Clin Microbiol.  2009 Sep;12(3):129-132. 10.5145/KJCM.2009.12.3.129.

A Case of Brain Abscess due to Parvimonas micra

• Kwon O
• Uh Y
• Jang IH
• Lee HG
• Yoon KJ
• Kim HY
• Han YP

• KMID: 1828583
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.5145/KJCM.2009.12.3.129

Abstract

Parvimonas micra is a non-spore-forming anaerobic gram-positive coccus, widely distributed as normal flora in the skin, vagina and mucosa, and able to cause opportunistic infections, particularly endocarditis and brain abscess following dental manipulations. A 49-year-old woman was hospitalized due to fever and headache. She had been diagnosed with periodontitis at the beginning of fever. A brain abscess was noted in the right temporal lobe on the brain CT, and she was treated with ceftriaxone, isepamicin and metronidazole. In the next day, abscess was aspirated and drained by a surgical procedure. An organism was isolated from an anaerobic culture of the abscess aspirate, and was identified as P. micra by a commercial kit and 16S rRNA sequencing.

Keyword

Parvimonas micra; Peptostreptococcus; Brain abscess

MeSH Terms

Abscess
Brain
Brain Abscess
Ceftriaxone
Endocarditis
Female
Fever
Gentamicins
Headache
Humans
Metronidazole
Middle Aged
Mucous Membrane
Opportunistic Infections
Peptostreptococcus
Periodontitis
Skin
Temporal Lobe
Vagina
Ceftriaxone
Gentamicins
Metronidazole

Figure

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  Fig. 1. Brain CT with contrast media shows an abscess in the right temporal lobe.

• 

  Fig. 2. Parvimonas micra shows tiny to small colonies on brucella blood agar with hemin and vitamin K1.

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