Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40221659›Full record

ReviewBMC infectious diseases2025

A tympanitis-related brain abscess caused by Helcococcus kunzii in China: a case report and literature review.

Liyan Mao, Zhongju Chen, Chao Xu, Xueman Wang, Lu Gong, Sui Gao, Ziyong Sun, Cui Jian

Abstract readCase ReportsReview
In one paragraph

Review in BMC infectious diseases, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Liyan MaoDepartment of Laboratory Medicine, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, China.
Zhongju ChenDepartment of Laboratory Medicine, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, China.
Chao XuDepartment of Laboratory Medicine, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, China.
Xueman WangDepartment of Laboratory Medicine, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, China.
Lu GongDepartment of Laboratory Medicine, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, China.
Sui GaoDepartment of Laboratory Medicine, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, China.
Ziyong SunDepartment of Laboratory Medicine, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, China. zysun@tjh.tjmu.edu.cn.
Cui JianDepartment of Laboratory Medicine, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, China. jiancui_tj@126.com.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundInfections attributed to Helcococcus kunzii are rarely documented, especially in relation to brain abscesses. This study aims to report the first documented case of a brain abscess associated with tympanitis caused by H. kunzii in China, alongside a comprehensive review of the existing literature. CASE PRESENTATION: We detail the case of a 54-year-old female patient with a history of hypertension, who was diagnosed with tympanitis complicated by a brain abscess. An urgent occipital lobectomy was performed, during which pus was collected for culture analysis. Three distinct colony morphologies were identified through matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) analysis, including H. kunzii and two additional anaerobic bacterial species. Subsequent biochemical assays and 16S rRNA gene sequencing corroborated the presence of H. kunzii. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing revealed that the isolated H. kunzii strain exhibited resistance to erythromycin and clindamycin. The patient was subsequently treated with intravenous antibiotics, specifically ceftriaxone, meropenem, and norvancomycin, resulting in complete recovery.

conclusionsThis case underscores the increasing acknowledgment of H. kunzii as a notable pathogen in invasive intracranial infections. It is imperative for clinicians to consider H. kunzii in the differential diagnosis of patients presenting with intracranial infections, especially those with a history of tympanitis, to ensure prompt and effective management. The utilization of MS and molecular techniques should be prioritized for the accurate identification of these anaerobic bacteria.

Indexed as

BacillotaBrain AbscessGram-Positive Bacterial InfectionsAnti-Bacterial AgentsChinaFemaleHumansMicrobial Sensitivity TestsMiddle AgedRNA, Ribosomal, 16SSpectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-IonizationAnti-Bacterial AgentsRNA, Ribosomal, 16S16S rRNA sequencingBrain abscessHelcococcus kunziiMALDI-TOFTympanitis

Identifiers

PMID40221659
PMCPMC11993954

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.