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.
Most frequently, the lung abscess arises as a complication of aspiration pneumonia caused by mouth anaerobes. The patients who develop lung abscess are predisposed to aspiration and commonly have periodontal disease.
1 The abscess is most often caused by a bacterial infection. The symptoms can seem very similar to those of strep throat or tonsillitis.  A peritonsillar abscess can be treated in several different ways, including antibiotics.