Bacillus cereus brain abscesses occurring in a severely neutropenic patient: Successful treatment with antimicrobial agents, granulocyte colony-stimulating factor and surgical drainage

Multiple brain and liver abscesses developed immediately after Bacillus cer eus bacteremia in a neutropenic patient with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. After even 8 weeks of antimicrobial chemotherapy together with administrati on of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, every infectious process disap peared but the patient's headache has still persisted. Because the wall of one brain abscess became thin and was in danger of rupturing into the ventr icle, surgical drainage was performed, resulting in disappearance of headac he and resolution of brain abscess. The present case indicates that a combi ned medical and surgical approach is mandatory to treat patients with brain abscesses.