Amebic abscess of the liver

In a review of the records in 50 cases of amebic abscess of the liver observed in the Canal Zone between 1920 and 1945 the following features were noted:Incidence was preponderantly in males and highest in persons between the ages of 20 and 40. None of the patients was under 21 years of age. There was a great variety of complaints at the time of admission to hospital. The most common was pain in the right upper quadrant of the abdomen. Demonstration of either elevated or fixed diaphragm by x-ray film and fluoroscopic examination was useful in diagnosis in a number of cases, but absence of such findings did not rule out abscess of the liver. In some cases there was history of previous dysentery with blood in the stools.One or another of three operative procedures was used for drainage of abscesses in 39 patients. Of the 39, six died; in five of the six, multiple abscesses were present. Emetine hydrochloride was given to all patients.     

Amebic liver abscess: report of three cases

Amebic abscess is a common manifestation of extraintestinal amebiasis and it is associated with relatively high morbidity and mortality. We present three cases seen in Bari, Southern Italy, one of which was autochthonous and the other two were not. Diagnosis was performed by elevated antibody titre for E. histolytica through immunofluorescence assay and positive antigen determination by ELISA in stools and in abscess aspirate. Fever often accompanied by chills, abdominal pain, weight loss and hepatomegaly were present. Laboratory findings also revealed leukocytosis with neutrophilia. Pleural effusion was observed in two patients. In all our patients multiple abscesses were observed. All the patients were treated with metronidazole and two of them also underwent the aspiration of the amoebic abscess. In all of them there was improvement of the clinical picture, as demonstrated by computerized tomography.     

Amebic liver abscess: epidemiology, clinical features, and outcome

Amebic liver abscess (ALA) is a serious, but readily treatable form of hepatic infection. In order to understand the clinical features of this condition in the United States, we reviewed the medical histories of 56 patients with ALA at two large San Francisco Hospitals from 1979 to 1994. Patients were divided into the following groups based on the presumed manner in which they had acquired ALA: those born or raised in the United States, with a history of travel to an endemic area (Tr-ALA); those from an endemic area, but living in the United States for less than one year (En-ALA); and those neither from nor having traveled to an endemic area (N-ALA). We found distinct clinical patterns in patients from different epidemiological groups. Patients with Tr-ALA were a decade older than those from endemic regions, were more likely to be male, and tended to have an insidious onset. Furthermore, compared to patients with En-ALA, those with Tr-ALA were more likely to have hepatomegaly (P < 0.0001) and large abscesses (ALA > 10 cm; P < 0.01). One third of the patients studied had no associated travel history or endemic origin as risk factors. Of these, 63% had a condition consistent with severe immunosuppression, such as infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), malnourishment with severe hypoalbuminemia, or chronic infection. In patients with N-ALA, the presence of a presumed immunosuppressed state increased significantly, as compared to patients with endemic or travel risk factors for ALA. During the last five years of the study, one third of all patients diagnosed with ALA were HIV positive (including 2 with a new diagnosis of AIDS), many of whom were discovered to be HIV-infected only after presentation with ALA. We conclude that travel to and origin in an endemic area are important risk factors for the development of ALA, and patients in these different epidemiological groups appear to have distinct clinical features. Further, in the absence of recognized risk factors, the development of ALA may suggest an immunocompromised host.     

Microbiology of pyogenic liver abscess.

Sixteen patients with pyogenic liver abscesses were studied over 10 years to discover the causative organisms of the condition. Pus was subjected to Gram-negative smear or gas-liquid chromatography to detect volatile acids characteristic of anaerobes and then cultured. All isolates were identified by conventional methods and tested for sensitivity to appropriate antimicrobial agents. Bacteria were grown from the liver abscesses in all 16 patients. Streptococcus milleri Lancefield group F was the commonest organism isolated from the pyogenic liver abscesses, being found in 13 patients. If Strep milleri is isolated care should be taken not to mistake it for an anaerobe, and finding the organism in the blood should alert the clinician to the possible presence of a liver abscesses.     

Porphyromonas asaccharolytica liver abscess

The black pigmented Gram-negative anaerobes, Porphyromonas species, have been isolated from clinical specimens in cases of central nervous system, dental-oral, pleuropulmonary and genitourinary infections and bacteremia. Herein, we report an unusual case of liver abscess caused by Porphyromonas asaccharolytica that has not been previously reported.