Curvularia brain abscess

Curvularia is a ubiquitous dematiaceous fungus that is a very rare but often fatal cause of infection in the central nervous system (CNS). In this report, we describe a patient with chronic sinusitis who presented with a Curvularia abscess of the skull base extending into the left frontal lobe. She was successfully treated with aggressive surgical resection and antibiotic therapy. In the published literature, this patient to our knowledge represents the longest period of disease-free follow-up in those afflicted with CNS Curvularia infection, indicating the importance of proper diagnosis and aggressive surgical debridement for a successful outcome. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.