Bacterial liver abscesses in Nigeria

There has been no previous report on bacterial liver abscess (BLA) from West Africa. During the period 1972-1979, 13 patients were treated for BLA in Zaria, Nigeria. S. aureus was the most frequent pathogen but an anaerobic streptococcus was identified in one instance. The case fatality rate was 54%, similar to those reported in the literature. Since diagnosis was made without the benefit of the newer liver-imaging technologies it seems probable that BLA is underdiagnosed and therefore untreated in some patients.