Actinomycosis ; complications ; drug therapy ; pathology ; Aged, 80 and over ; Amoxicillin-Potassium Clavulanate Combination ; therapeutic use ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; therapeutic use ; Cephalexin ; therapeutic use ; Ciprofloxacin ; therapeutic use ; Clindamycin ; therapeutic use ; Coinfection ; drug therapy ; Drug Resistance, Bacterial ; Escherichia coli Infections ; complications ; drug therapy ; Humans ; Male ; Pseudomonas Infections ; complications ; drug therapy ; Skin Diseases, Bacterial ; complications ; drug therapy ; pathology ; Staphylococcal Skin Infections ; complications ; drug therapy ; Thigh ; Trimethoprim, Sulfamethoxazole Drug Combination ; therapeutic use

Actinomycosis is a chronic suppurative granulomatous infectious disease caused by actinomyces species that is characterized by formation of characteristic clumps called as sulfur granules. Abdominal actinomycosis is a rare disease and is often difficult to diagnose before operation. Abdominal actinomycosis infiltrating into the abdominal wall and adhering to the colon is even rarer. Most abdominal actinomycosis develops after operation, trauma or inflammatory bowel disease, and is also considered as an opportunistic infection in immunocompromised patient with underlying malignancy, diabetes mellitus, human immunodefidiency virus infection, etc. Actinomycosis is diagnosed based on histologic demonstration of sulfur granules in surgically resected specimen or pus, and treatment consists of long-term penicillin based antibiotics therapy with or without surgical resection. Herein, we report an unusual case of abdominal wall actinomycosis which developed in a patient after acupuncture and presented as abdominal wall mass that was first mistaken for abdominal wall invasion of diverticulum perforation.
Abdominal Wall/surgery ; Actinomycosis/*diagnosis/drug therapy/pathology ; Acupuncture ; Anti-Bacterial Agents/therapeutic use ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

Primary hepatic actinomycosis is one of the chronic abscess-forming infections of the liver. Accurate diagnosis is frequently delayed due to its indolent course and nonspecific clinical and radiological manifestations. We report a case of a 57-year-old man presenting with asymptomatic multiple hepatic masses on follow-up abdominal computed tomography performed 1 year after stomach cancer surgery. Although a percutaneous liver biopsy procedure was conducted twice in order to obtain confirmative pathology, only a nonspecific organizing abscess with plasma cell infiltration was revealed, without identification of any organism in the tissue cultures. Ultimately, actinomycosis was diagnosed following the detection of sulfur granules on open surgical biopsied tissue. This case suggests that primary hepatic actinomycosis should be considered as one of the possible causes for enigmatic inflammatory lesions of the liver.
Actinomycosis/*diagnosis/drug therapy/microbiology ; Anti-Bacterial Agents/therapeutic use ; Biopsy, Needle ; Humans ; Liver Abscess/complications ; Liver Diseases/*diagnosis/microbiology/pathology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

Here we report a case of 41-year-old man with a soft tissue density mass at right upper lung and palpable abscesses at right upper backside and right wrist. ¹⁸F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography demonstrated a 7.8 × 5.0 cm mass with soft-tissue density in the upper lobe of the right lung with high metabolic activity. The infiltrative mass extended to adjacent chest wall soft tissue. Final diagnosis of pulmonary actinomycosis with multiple abscesses was made. The patient responded well to antibiotics treatment.
Abscess ; Actinomycosis/*diagnosis/drug therapy/microbiology ; Adult ; Anti-Bacterial Agents/therapeutic use ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Fluorodeoxyglucose F18/chemistry ; Humans ; Lung Diseases/*diagnosis/drug therapy/microbiology ; Lung Neoplasms/pathology ; Male ; *Positron-Emission Tomography ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

This study was designed to evaluate the clinical features of abdominal actinomycosis and to assess its therapeutic outcome. We reviewed patients with abdominal actinomycosis in Seoul St. Mary hospital, between January 1994 and January 2010. Twenty-three patients (5 male and 18 female, mean age, 47.8 yr; range, 6-75 yr), with abdominal actinomycosis were included. Emergency surgery was performed in 50% due to symptoms of peritonitis. The common presentation on preoperative computerized tomography was a mass with abscess, mimicking malignancy. The mean tumor size was 7.0 cm (range, 2.5-10.5). In all patients, actinomycotic masses were surgically removed. Mean duration of hospital stay was 17.8 days (range, 5-49). Long term oral antibiotic treatment (mean 4.2 months; range, 0.5-7.0 months) were administered to all patients. All patients were free of recurrence after a median follow up of 30.0 months (mean 35.5 +/- 14.8 months, range, 10.0-70.0 months); recurrence was not seen in any patient. In conclusion, abdominal actinomycosis should be included as a differential diagnosis when an unusual abdominal mass or abscess presents on abdominal CT. Assertive removal of necrotic tissue with surgical drainage and long term antibiotic treatment provide a good prognosis in patients with actinomycosis.
*Abdomen ; Actinomycosis/*diagnosis/drug therapy/surgery ; Adult ; Aged ; Anti-Bacterial Agents/therapeutic use ; Child ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Peritonitis/diagnosis/pathology/surgery ; Retrospective Studies ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

Actinomycosis ; pathology ; Adult ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Female ; Humans ; Mycoses ; pathology ; Staphylococcal Skin Infections ; microbiology ; pathology ; surgery ; Staphylococcus aureus ; isolation & purification ; Young Adult

PURPOSE: Intrabdominal actinomycosis is difficult to diagnose preoperatively. This chronic infection has a propensity to mimic many other diseases and may present with a wide variety of symptoms. The aim of this study was to evaluate the characteristic clinical features with review of the literature. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed 22 patients with intrabdominal actinomycosis between January 2000 and January 2006. RESULTS: There were two men and 20 women with a mean age of 42.8 years (range, 24 - 69). Twelve patients presented with masses or abdominal pain, whereas 3 patients presented with acute appendicitis. The rate of performing an emergency surgery was 50% due to symptoms of peritonitis. The mean size of tumor was 5.5 cm (range, 2.5 - 11.0). Sixty percent (n = 12) of female patients had intrauterine device (IUD). The average time to definite diagnosis was 10.6 days. CONCLUSION: Intrabdominal abdominal actinomycosis must first be suspected in any women with a history of current or recent IUD use who presents abdominal pain. If recognized preoperatively, a limited surgical procedure, may spare the patient from an extensive operation.
Abdominal Pain/*etiology/microbiology ; Actinomycosis/*diagnosis/pathology ; Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Intrauterine Devices ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Peritonitis/pathology/surgery ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo find a fast and simple method for detection of specific pathogens in upper aerodigestive tract.

METHODSSixty-one cases of specific infections in upper aerodigestive tract encountered during a 10-year period in Beijing Tongren Hospital were retrospectively studied. Six histochemical stains, including PAS, Giemsa, Gram, methylene blue, modified Warthin-Starry and acid-fast stains were applied. The morphology of different pathogens was studied and the staining patterns were compared.

RESULTSThere were 23 cases of pharyngeal treponemal infection, 10 cases of short treponemal infection, 4 cases of mycobacterial infection, 4 cases of infection by rhinoscleroma bacilli, 1 case of sinonasal fungal infection, 1 case of combined infection of bacteria and Oidium albicans, 2 cases of tonsillar Actinomycetes and 16 cases of non-specific bacterial infections. Both pharyngeal treponemal infection and infection by rhinoscleroma bacilli could be detected by modified Warthin-Starry stain. As for sinonasal fungal infection, PAS, Giemsa and modified Warthin-Starry stains were useful in differentiating different types of fungi. Mycobacteria were best demonstrated by conventional acid-fast stain.

CONCLUSIONSSpecial histochemical stains performed on histologic sections are useful for diagnosing specific infections in upper aerodigestive tract.

Actinomycosis ; microbiology ; pathology ; Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Child ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Mycobacterium ; isolation & purification ; Mycobacterium Infections ; microbiology ; pathology ; Palatine Tonsil ; microbiology ; pathology ; Pharyngeal Diseases ; microbiology ; pathology ; Pharynx ; microbiology ; pathology ; Retrospective Studies ; Rhinoscleroma ; microbiology ; pathology ; Staining and Labeling ; Treponema ; isolation & purification ; Treponemal Infections ; microbiology ; pathology ; Young Adult

Actinomycosis is a chronic suppurative and granulomatous disease, characterized by the formation of abscess, draining sinuses, abundant granulation, and dense fibrous tissue. Actinomycosis of the gallbladder is extremely rare. We report a case of an 56-years old man who abruptly presented with right upper quadrant abdominal pain. Abdominal CT showed that the gallbladder had 2 cm sized stone and an edematous thick wall. Our preoperative diagnosis was acute calculous cholecystitis. After the management of acute cholecystitis, laparoscopic cholecystectomy was performed but converted to open surgery due to severe adhesion to liver and greater omentum. Partial cholecystectomy was performed. Histologic section of the gallbladder showed sulfur granule with gram-positive branching bacilli compatible with actinomyces. After cholecystectomy, the patient received intravenous penicillin G for 2 weeks, followed by oral penicillin for 3 months.
Actinomycosis/*diagnosis/drug therapy/pathology ; Cholecystectomy ; Cholecystitis, Acute/*diagnosis/surgery ; Gallbladder Diseases/*diagnosis/drug therapy/pathology ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Penicillins/administration & dosage ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

Actinomycosis is an indolent, slowly progressive infection caused by Actinomyces species and usually results in the formation of characteristic clumps called sulfur granules. Depending on the site of primary infection, it is generally classified as cervicofacial, thoracic, and abdominal type. Abdominal actinomycosis is often difficult to diagnose before operation because of its infrequent and chronic disease progression without any characteristic clinical features. In principle, diagnosis is based on histologic demonstration of sulfur granules in pus or surgically resected specimen, and the treatment consists of long-term antibiotic therapy coupled with or without surgical resection. We report a case of abdominal actinomycosis presenting as mesenteric mass adhering to small bowel confirmed by laparoscopic exploration and biopsy. Treatment with intravenous penicillin for 4 weeks followed by additional oral therapy for 11 months resulted in clinical resolution.
Actinomycosis/*diagnosis/drug therapy/pathology ; Anti-Bacterial Agents/therapeutic use ; Female ; Humans ; Mesentery/*pathology ; Middle Aged ; Penicillin G/therapeutic use ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed