Diagnostic & Therapeutic Challenges of Actinomycosis: A Benign Speck Masquerading as a Soft Tissue Malignancy Actinomycosis is a chronic infection caused by filamentous gram-positive anaerobes, typically presenting in cervicofacial regions. We report a rare case involving the lower limb of an immunocompetent male, initially suspected to have soft tissue sarcoma based on imaging. The diagnosis was confirmed histologically with characteristic sulfur granules and the Splendore-Hoeppli phenomenon. Despite antibiotic therapy, non-compliancy led to disease progression and necessitated a below-knee amputation. This case emphasises the importance of early diagnosis, patient compliance, and a multidisciplinary approach in managing rare infections mimicking malignancies.
Actinomycosis.

Actinomycosis of paranasal sinus is a very rare disease that is caused by infection of Actinomyces species that were present in oral or nasal flora due to trauma or dental treatment. Actinomycosis shows a local calcified lesion associated with soft tissue density on computed tomography, which is similar to fungal sinusitis. Actinomycosis associated with fungal ball due to Aspergillus affecting sinus ventilation has been rarely reported. We experienced two cases of actinomycosis associated with fungal ball and successfully treated with endoscopic sinus surgery and oral antibiotics for 3 months without recurrence.]]>
Actinomyces ; Actinomycosis ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Aspergillosis ; Aspergillus ; Paranasal Sinuses ; Rare Diseases ; Recurrence ; Sinusitis ; Ventilation

Actinomycosis can mask malignant diseases. This paper reports a case of colonic diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), which was misdiagnosed as abdominal actinomycosis. A 76-year-old woman presented with right flank pain and weight loss. Abdominal CT and colonoscopy revealed a huge ascending colon mass. Despite the initial impression of a malignancy, a colonoscopic biopsy revealed no malignant cells, but sulfur granules and a filamentous organism suggesting actinomycosis. Intravenous penicillin G was administered under the impression of abdominal actinomycosis but her condition deteriorated rapidly. Follow up CT showed markedly increased colon mass and new multiple nodular lesions around the ascending colon. Sono-guided percutaneous biopsy of the nodular lesion was performed. The pathological result was DLBCL. The patient was scheduled to undergo chemotherapy but the patient expired due to cancer progression. The diagnosis of gastrointestinal infiltrating tumors is often difficult because a superficial biopsy usually does not provide a confirmative diagnosis. This case highlights the difficulty in making a correct diagnosis of lymphoma due to the concomitant actinomycosis. Malignant conditions must be considered in cases of actinomycosis with no response to antimicrobial therapy.
Actinomycosis ; Aged ; B-Lymphocytes ; Biopsy ; Colon ; Colon, Ascending ; Colonic Neoplasms ; Colonoscopy ; Diagnosis ; Drug Therapy ; Female ; Flank Pain ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Lymphoma ; Lymphoma, B-Cell ; Lymphoma, Large B-Cell, Diffuse ; Masks ; Penicillin G ; Sulfur ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Weight Loss

Actinomycosis can mask malignant diseases. This paper reports a case of colonic diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), which was misdiagnosed as abdominal actinomycosis. A 76-year-old woman presented with right flank pain and weight loss. Abdominal CT and colonoscopy revealed a huge ascending colon mass. Despite the initial impression of a malignancy, a colonoscopic biopsy revealed no malignant cells, but sulfur granules and a filamentous organism suggesting actinomycosis. Intravenous penicillin G was administered under the impression of abdominal actinomycosis but her condition deteriorated rapidly. Follow up CT showed markedly increased colon mass and new multiple nodular lesions around the ascending colon. Sono-guided percutaneous biopsy of the nodular lesion was performed. The pathological result was DLBCL. The patient was scheduled to undergo chemotherapy but the patient expired due to cancer progression. The diagnosis of gastrointestinal infiltrating tumors is often difficult because a superficial biopsy usually does not provide a confirmative diagnosis. This case highlights the difficulty in making a correct diagnosis of lymphoma due to the concomitant actinomycosis. Malignant conditions must be considered in cases of actinomycosis with no response to antimicrobial therapy.
Actinomycosis ; Aged ; B-Lymphocytes ; Biopsy ; Colon ; Colon, Ascending ; Colonic Neoplasms ; Colonoscopy ; Diagnosis ; Drug Therapy ; Female ; Flank Pain ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Lymphoma ; Lymphoma, B-Cell ; Lymphoma, Large B-Cell, Diffuse ; Masks ; Penicillin G ; Sulfur ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Weight Loss

Pelvic actinomycosis is an uncommon infectious disease. It induces a chronic, suppurative illness characterized by an infiltrative and granulomatous response and, thus, the clinical and radiologic findings may mimic other inflammatory and neoplastic conditions. A 56-year-old female with a long-standing intrauterine device was diagnosed with pelvic actinomycosis manifesting as a large uterine mass with locally infiltrative spread into surrounding tissue that mimicked uterine malignancy. Actinomyces israelii infection was confirmed with a surgical specimen, and the patient was treated with antibiotic medication. Pelvic actinomycosis must be included in the differential diagnoses of patients with an infiltrative pelvic mass extending across tissue planes or in patients with findings of multiple microabscesses, particularly in a patient with an intrauterine device, even the lesion primarily involves the uterus.
Actinomyces ; Actinomycosis ; Communicable Diseases ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Female ; Humans ; Intrauterine Devices ; Middle Aged ; Pelvic Inflammatory Disease ; Uterus

PURPOSE: Primary anal actinomycosis of cryptoglandular origin, a rare cause of anal suppurative disease, requires specific management to be cured. The aims of this retrospective study were to describe clinical, morphological, and microbiological features of this entity and to evaluate management practices for new cases observed since 2001. METHODS: This was a retrospective case series conducted at the Diaconesses-Croix Saint-Simon Hospital in Paris. RESULTS: From January 2001 to July 2016, 7 patients, 6 males and 1 female (median, 49 years), presenting with an actinomycotic abscess with a cryptoglandular anal fistula were included for study. The main symptom was an acute painful ischioanal abscess. One patient exhibited macroscopic small yellow granules (“sulfur granules”), another “watery pus” and a third subcutaneous gluteal septic metastasis. All patients were overweight (body mass index ≥ 25 kg/m2). Histological study of surgically excised tissue established the diagnosis. All the patients were managed with a combination of classical surgical treatment and prolonged antibiotic therapy. No recurrence was observed during follow-up, the median follow-up being 3 years. CONCLUSION: Actinomycosis should be suspected particularly when sulfur granules are present in the pus, patients have undergone multiple surgeries or suppuration has an unusual aspect. Careful histological examination and appropriate cultures of pus are needed to achieve complete eradication of this rare, but easily curable, disease.
Abscess ; Actinomycosis ; Acute Pain ; Diagnosis* ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Male ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Overweight ; Rectal Fistula ; Recurrence ; Retrospective Studies ; Sulfur ; Suppuration

Actinomyces are anaerobic, Gram-positive bacteria that are part of the endogenous flora of mucous membranes in humans. Infection caused by these bacteria is termed actinomycosis. The 3 most common types of actinomycosis are cervicofacial, abdominopelvic, and pulmonary. A previously healthy 6-year-old boy presented with the emergency room with fever, vomiting, and abdominal pain and initially diagnosed with acute appendicitis. Exploratory laparoscopy was done. Histologic finding demonstrated acute gangrenous appendicitis complicated by perforation and sulfur granules compatible with actinomycosis. Subsequently, he was diagnosed with abdominal actinomycosis and received long-term antibiotic therapy. Abdominal actinomycosis is uncommon in children and difficult to diagnose because of its nonspecific symptoms and of difficulties in growing Actinomyces in the clinical setting. It is necessary to include abdominal actinomycosis as a differential diagnosis of children presenting with abdominal pain.
Abdomen ; Abdominal Pain ; Actinomyces ; Actinomycosis ; Appendicitis ; Bacteria ; Child ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Emergency Service, Hospital ; Fever ; Gram-Positive Bacteria ; Humans ; Laparoscopy ; Male ; Mucous Membrane ; Sulfur ; Vomiting

Actinomycosis is a rare anaerobic, gram-positive bacterial infection caused by Actinomyces, which is a normal flora in the gastrointestinal and female genitourinary tracts. The cervicofacial area is a common infection site for actinomycosis, while nasal cavity is rare. Generally, standard treatment of the disease is a long term antibiotics therapy. However, a treatment strategy for nasal actinomycosis has not been established due to its rarity. We present a case of nasal actinomycosis that was managed by surgical removal. A 49-year-old woman visited our clinic with epistaxis and foul odor and nasoendoscopy showed a mass in patient's right nasal cavity. The mass comprised of Actinomyces was easily removed by endoscopic surgery. Further histopathologic examination revealed that the surrounding tissues did not contain Actinomyces, so we stopped applying antibiotics to the patients. No recurrence has been observed for 26 months. We report this rare case of nasal actinomycosis with a literature review regarding treatment.
Actinomyces ; Actinomycosis* ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Epistaxis ; Female ; Gram-Positive Bacterial Infections ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Nasal Cavity* ; Odors ; Patient Rights ; Recurrence

Aspergillosis or actinomycosis is a very rare disease of paranasal sinuses. It is an infectious bacterial disease caused by actinomyces species, which is a gram-positive, anaerobic bacillus. Although actinomyces species are part of the normal flora commensal in the oral cavity or GI tract, they, in rare cases, they can invade the mucosa and form a fistula or an abscess once the mucous membrane is damaged by inflammation or trauma. Aspergillosis is a fungal infection, and the frequency of its outbreaks has been increasing because diagnostic techniques have been improved, and the use of antibiotic, steroid and anticancer medicines have increased as well as the growth of incidence of metabolic diseases. The diagnosis of Aspergillosis is to be confirmed by pathologic findings after surgery. Sulfur granules are histologically observed for actinomycosis, and 45° branched hyphae are to be found for Aspergillosis. This describes the first case reported in Korea where actinomycosis and Aspergillosis was diagnosed separately at each side of maxillary sinuses.
Abscess ; Actinomyces ; Actinomycosis* ; Aspergillosis* ; Bacillus ; Diagnosis ; Disease Outbreaks ; Fistula ; Gastrointestinal Tract ; Hyphae ; Incidence ; Inflammation ; Korea ; Maxillary Sinus* ; Maxillary Sinusitis ; Metabolic Diseases ; Mouth ; Mucous Membrane ; Paranasal Sinuses ; Rare Diseases ; Sulfur

We report a case of a 34-year-old man who was initially treated as community acquired pneumonia following a three-month-history of productive cough, loss of weight and loss of appetite. However, three months after discharged from the hospital, he presented again with worsening respiratory symptoms and radiological evidence of a lung cavitation with intracavitary lesion resembling an aspergilloma associated with surrounding consolidation. Unfortunately, he remained symptomatic despite on antifungal therapy. The repeat computed-tomography demonstrated persistent cavitating lesion with development of necrotising pneumonia. He underwent lobectomy and the histopathological analysis of the resected specimen however revealed the diagnosis of actinomycosis. KEY WORDS: Actinomycosis, Aspergillosis
Actinomycosis