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.
The germs that cause a brain abscess can reach the brain through the blood. Or, they enter the brain directly, such as during brain surgery. The source of the infection is often not found. However, the most common source is a lung infection. Less often, a heart infection is the cause.