An Eight Year Clinico-Microbiological Retrospective Study on Brain Abscesses in India.

Background: Intracranial abscesses have been a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge since time immemorial for both the microbiologists and the neurosurgeons. There is paucity of detailed studies documenting the infecting organism causing brain abscesses in South India. Aims: The study aimed at identifying and assessing the prevalence of aerobic, anaerobic bacteria and fungi associated with brain abscesses at a tertiary care hospital in South India. Methods and Material: Eight years data was collected from the records of culture reports from 2007 to 2010 and 2013 to 2018. The corresponding clinical case records were retrieved for the assessment of risk factors. Risk factors of brain abscess development were assessed based on clinical cases records. Results: Data from 140 brain abscess cases obtained over a period of 8 years were analyzed. Out of the 140 samples, 66 (47.14%) were culture positive in which 33 (50%) had single aerobic/facultative anaerobic bacteria, 20 (30.3%) had mixture of more than one aerobic/facultative anaerobic bacteria, 12 (18.18%) had single obligate anaerobic bacteria and 1(1.5%) sample had Conclusions: It has become essential for the microbiologists to be aware of unusual isolates from brain abscess and its complex nature. Obscurity and difficulty in their microbiological diagnosis calls for more such detailed studies.