Abstract
This report a case of brain abscess in which Porphyromonas gingivalis, an anaerobe and a major causative bacterium of adult periodontitis, was detected as the etiological agent. The patient, whose major complaint was repeated headache at the left temporal region, was found to have a 3cm diameter abscess surrounded by a markedly edematous tissue in the left tempo-parietal region. Since no focus of infection of Porphyromonas gingivalis, other than the severe generalized periodontitis lesion, the blood-borne transmission of the bacterium from the gingiva to the brain lesion was suspected. This case is of interest in terms of the proposed link between periodontal disease and cardiovascular diseases, indicating a need for routine anaerobic culture examination to detect Porphyromonas gingivalis.
