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Cerebellar abscess caused by L isteria monocytogenes in a liver transplant patient
Author(s) -
Choudhury N.,
Khan A.B.,
Tzvetanov I.,
GarciaRoca R.,
Oberholzer J.,
Benedetti E.,
Jeon H.
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
transplant infectious disease
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.69
H-Index - 67
eISSN - 1399-3062
pISSN - 1398-2273
DOI - 10.1111/tid.12145
Subject(s) - medicine , vomiting , liver transplantation , etiology , hepatocellular carcinoma , magnetic resonance imaging , abscess , liver abscess , brain abscess , complication , transplantation , listeria monocytogenes , surgery , radiology , pathology , genetics , biology , bacteria
Brain abscesses are a rare but serious complication and have been documented in transplant recipients. A spergillus is by far the most frequent etiology of post‐transplant brain abscesses. Bacteria, apart from N ocardia , have a low association with brain abscesses in transplant recipients. We report herein the case of a 52‐year‐old man who had undergone orthotopic liver transplantation ( OLT ) for end‐stage liver disease and hepatocellular carcinoma secondary to chronic hepatitis, and who developed a cerebellar abscess ( CA ) from L isteria monocytogenes . Three months after transplantation, he presented with a 1‐week history of headache and vomiting. Computed tomography scan of the brain revealed a space‐occupying lesion in the right cerebellum, which was further confirmed by magnetic resonance imaging. Emergency surgery was planned because of pressure effect on the surrounding structures. The patient recovered smoothly from the surgery. To our knowledge, no reports of L isteria CA following OLT have been published in the English literature. This case shows that, although extremely rare, L . monocytogenes may cause CA in liver transplant recipients, and clinicians should be aware of this, so that prompt diagnosis and treatment can be instituted before serious brain damage can occur.