Hepatic abscess caused by Fusobacterium necrophorum after a trip to the dentist.

A 57-year-old man with no significant medical history was admitted to the hospital, with high-grade fever and right upper quadrant pain. He was found, on abdominal ultrasound, to have a right lobe hepatic cystic lesion. MRI of the abdomen confirmed a hepatic abscess. Cultures obtained under CT guidance showed the abscess to be caused by Fusobacterium necrophorum. This is a rare bacterium that can cause potentially fatal liver abscesses. Following drainage and intravenous antibiotic treatment, the patient improved and was discharged on a 4-week antibiotic course. An abdominal CT, performed 6 weeks after discharge, showed total resolution of the abscess. The patient had, 2 weeks prior to the development of the liver abscess, undergone routine dental cleaning. Neither upper respiratory symptoms nor sore throat had been identified prior to the presentation. 2016 BMJ Publishing Group Ltd.