Brain abscess in a recent immigrant.

A 7-year-old boy who has recently immigrated from India presented with two episodes of focal seizure over a 3-month period. A cranial magnetic resonance imaging scan showed a ring-enhancing lesion in his cerebral cortex. He was diagnosed with a pyogenic brain abscess following resection of the lesion and also had positive serology to Taenia solium (which causes neurocysticercosis). We briefly review these two diseases and discuss the important diagnostic issues.