Eikenella corrodens Brain Abscess after Repeated Periodontal Manipulations Cured with Imipenem and Neurosurgery

Eikenella corrodens is a facultatively anaerobic gramnegative rod that colonizes the oral cavity and very rarely produces central nervous system (CNS) infections. Frontal lobe abscesses are occasionally associated with a dental source of infection. We report a case of an adult man with overzealous dental cleaning habits who developed a right frontal brain abscess caused by E. corrodens. He underwent neurosurgical drainage of the pus and was successfully treated with imipenem 4 g/iv/day for 4 weeks with no complications. Repeated periodontal trauma could explain the Eikenella brain abscess in this case.