Zhang YF, Xu LL, Tang GM. Liver abscess caused by Parvimonas micra originating from a fish bone: A case report. World J Gastroenterol 2026; 32(43): 121298 [DOI: 10.3748/wjg.121298]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Guang-Min Tang, MD, Center of Infectious Diseases, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, No. 37 Guo Xue Xiang, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan Province, China. 52930382@qq.com
Research Domain of This Article
Infectious Diseases
Article-Type of This Article
case-report
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Baishideng Publishing Group Inc, 7041 Koll Center Parkway, Suite 160, Pleasanton, CA 94566, USA
Share the Article
Zhang YF, Xu LL, Tang GM. Liver abscess caused by Parvimonas micra originating from a fish bone: A case report. World J Gastroenterol 2026; 32(43): 121298 [DOI: 10.3748/wjg.121298]
World J Gastroenterol. Nov 21, 2026; 32(43): 121298 Published online Nov 21, 2026. doi: 10.3748/wjg.121298
Liver abscess caused by Parvimonas micra originating from a fish bone: A case report
Yan-Fang Zhang, Liang-Liang Xu, Guang-Min Tang
Yan-Fang Zhang, Guang-Min Tang, Center of Infectious Diseases, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan Province, China
Liang-Liang Xu, Division of Liver Surgery, Department of General Surgery, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan Province, China
Author contributions: Zhang YF and Xu LL collected the data and wrote the manuscript; Tang GM revised the manuscript; and all authors have read and approved the final manuscript.
AI contribution statement: In the process of manuscript revision, artificial intelligence technology was only used to polish wording, optimize sentence logic and improve writing fluency. No artificial intelligence tools were involved in research design, data analysis, content creation, conclusion derivation and result interpretation. All academic viewpoints, research content and final conclusions are independently completed by the authors.
Informed consent statement: Informed written consent was obtained from the patient.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The author declares that they have no competing interests.
CARE Checklist (2016) statement: The authors have read the CARE Checklist (2016), and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the CARE Checklist (2016).
Corresponding author: Guang-Min Tang, MD, Center of Infectious Diseases, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, No. 37 Guo Xue Xiang, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan Province, China. 52930382@qq.com
Received: March 30, 2026 Revised: June 14, 2026 Accepted: July 29, 2026 Published online: November 21, 2026 Processing time: 184 Days and 9.6 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Liver abscess is an infectious lesion commonly caused by bacteria, Entamoeba histolytica, or fungi. Although Parvimonas micra (P. micra) predominantly colonizes the orodigestive tract, liver abscesses associated with this bacterium are rarely reported.
CASE SUMMARY
A 52-year-old Chinese male patient presented to our emergency department with intermittent fever, nausea, vomiting, and abdominal distention for 12 days. These symptoms showed no significant improvement following treatment at the primary care hospital. Initial liver ultrasound revealed a 7 cm infectious left lobe lesion. Anaerobic blood cultures and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry performed on admission and 2 days later both identified P. micra, suggesting that the liver abscess may have been caused by a foreign body originating from the digestive tract. Targeted examinations were performed. Abdomen enhanced computed tomography revealed a strip-shaped foreign body in the left outer lobe of the liver, extending to the wall of the pyloric canal. Simultaneous upper endoscopy and endoscopic ultrasonography detected a red scar in the gastric corpus and a 23.5 mm strip-shaped lesion within the liver mass, with one end penetrating the liver. The patient underwent laparoscopic left lateral liver lobectomy of the abscess and gastric perforation repair, during which a 3 cm fish bone was removed. He recovered fully after a targeted antibiotic regimen of penicillin G followed by piperacillin-tazobactam. This case is the first report of a liver abscess caused by P. micra due to ingestion of foreign bodies.
CONCLUSION
The clinical course of this patient highlights that the identification of P. micra and the detection of a foreign body within the liver mass provided pivotal clues for timely diagnosis and appropriate treatment.
Core Tip: Parvimonas micra (P. micra) is an oral and gut commensal rarely causing liver abscess. We report a 52-year-old man who presented to the emergency department with intermittent fever, nausea, vomiting, and abdominal distention for 12 days. On presentation, liver ultrasound revealed a 7 cm hypoechoic lesion in the left lobe. Anaerobic blood cultures and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry performed on admission and 2 days later both identified P. micra, which provided a major diagnostic clue. Subsequent abdomen computed tomography, endoscopy, and endoscopic ultrasound confirmed a 23.5 mm strip-shaped lesion within the liver mass, with one end penetrating the liver. The patient underwent wedge resection of the abscess and repair of the gastric perforation, during which a 3.0 cm fish bone was removed. The clinical course of this patient highlights that pathogen identification is crucial for timely diagnosis and precise treatment.
