At an isolated weather station in the central United States, a technician emerges from a small brick shed grasping a balloon. It's not just any birthday party balloon, mind you, but a massive, white sphere more than 5 feet (1.5 meters) in diameter.
Lung abscess can also be caused by the spread of other infections from the liver, abdominal cavity, or open chest wounds. Rarely, AIDS patients can develop lung abscess from Pneumocystis carinii and other organisms that take advantage of a weakened immune system. Lung abscess is usually slow to develop.
Empyema and Abscess Pneumonia - Background. 1  A lung abscess is a subacute infection in which an area of necrosis forms in the lung parenchyma. It usually is in a dependent section of the lung, more often involves the right lung than the left, and is most commonly seen after aspiration of oropharyngeal secretions.