Brain abscess due to Haemophilus aphrophilus: possible canine transmission.

A 58-year-old patient developed progressive right hemiparesis and a hemisensory loss. Computed tomography demonstrated a lesion in the left frontoparietal region with ring enhancement. A craniotomy was performed and an abscess was removed, which on culture grew Haemophilus aphrophilus. The same organism was isolated from the patient's poodle dog but not from three other poodles of family members. This, along with previous reports, suggests that the poodle may be a vector in the transmission of this organism, which rarely may cause a brain abscess.