Spinal intradural abscess caused by hematogenous spread of Prevotella oralis in a 3-year-old child with an asymptomatic congenital spinal abnormality

Study design: Case Report. Objectives: To report a case of spinal intradural abscess caused by hematogenous spread of Prevotella oralis and discuss the treatment. Setting: Department of Neurosurgery, Ankara Education and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey. Method: We report a 3-year-old child with progressive paraparesis who was diagnosed with an intradural spinal abscess, epidermoid cyst and dermal sinus. The patient was treated surgically followed by antimicrobial treatment. Result: Intraoperative abscess culture was positive for Prevotella oralis, which has not been reported before as a single isolate in literature. The patient's neurologic status was significantly improved after surgical treatment. Conclusion: Prophylactic antimicrobial therapies should cover the anaerobic bacteria in spinal intradural abscess. Surgical decompression with laminectomy and duraplasty may be warranted to achieve immediate neurologic improvement in such cases.