Some patients who developed fungal meningitis in an outbreak
linked to a Massachusetts compounding pharmacy are experiencing
more health woes, officials said. Patients are not only
developing meningitis, inflammation of the thin tissue
surrounding the brain and spinal cord; some are also developing
an epidural abscess, which is a collection of pus between the
outer covering of the brain and spinal cord and the bones of the
skull or spine. Meningitis is a known complication of an
epidural abscess, but what's puzzling some health experts is
that some patients were first diagnosed with and treated for
meningitis and then developed an abscess. "This is not typical
for fungal disease," says Dr. Tom Chiller, who serves as deputy
chief of the CDC's Mycotic (fungal) Diseases Branch. While he
and other health officials have been hearing about epidural
abscesses since the beginning of the outbreak, it is unclear how
many patients have had the abscesses. The Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention now lists meningiti