Letters to the editor

Fusobacterium nucleatum is an anaerobic micro-organism that is found only in the human oral cavity, where it co-exists with more than 500 other species.¹ It causes diseases such as periodontal and soft tissue abscesses, which can spread to the brain and cause intracerebral infection.² Infections of the brain involving F. nucleatum are uncommon but potentially severe, with many requiring surgery.³

Here we report a case of a 50-year-old man with a cerebellar abscess caused by Fusobacterium nucleatum that resulted in left-sided hemiplegia (Figures 1 and 2).

This patient presented in A&E following a fall, with left-sided weakness and pyrexia. CT and MRI imaging revealed a brain abscess in relation to the right parietal/posterior frontal lesions. This is shown in Figures 1 and 2. After 48 hours of progressively worsening left-sided weakness, the patient underwent drainage of the right brain abscess and was treated with antibiotics.