Actinomycosis With Pulmonary and Hepatic Involvement: A Case Report and Clinical Insights.

Cureus

Internal Medicine, Unidade Local de Saude do Alto Minho, Viana do Castelo, PRT.

Published: January 2025

Actinomycosis is a rare, chronic infectious disease caused by Actinomyces spp., characterized by an indolent and slowly progressive course. It represents a diagnostic challenge since its nonspecific clinical features often lead to misdiagnosis, mimicking pathologies such as solid neoplasms, active tuberculosis, nocardiosis, fungal infections, or other granulomatous diseases. This study describes a 56-year-old male with abdominal and thoracic pain, weight loss, fever, and dyspnea, over a two-week period. Imaging revealed the presence of hepatic abscesses and right-sided pleural effusion.  was isolated in one sample of blood culture. Management included drainage of the mentioned hepatic and pleural collections, combined with prolonged antibiotic therapy, leading to significant clinical, laboratory, and radiological improvement. This case sheds light on the complexities inherent in diagnosing and treating actinomycosis, underscoring the importance of a multidisciplinary approach in managing complex presentations of this rare disease.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11870751PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.7759/cureus.78206DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

actinomycosis pulmonary
4
pulmonary hepatic
4
hepatic involvement
4
involvement case
4
case report
4
report clinical
4
clinical insights
4
insights actinomycosis
4
actinomycosis rare
4
rare chronic infectious
4

Similar Publications

Actinomycosis is a rare, chronic infectious disease caused by Actinomyces spp., characterized by an indolent and slowly progressive course. It represents a diagnostic challenge since its nonspecific clinical features often lead to misdiagnosis, mimicking pathologies such as solid neoplasms, active tuberculosis, nocardiosis, fungal infections, or other granulomatous diseases.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Colloid adenocarcinoma of the lung is a rare subtype of lung adenocarcinoma characterised by the destruction of pre-existing airspaces caused by mucin produced by the tumour. Pulmonary actinomycosis is a chronic suppurative lung disease caused by that is sometimes difficult to differentiate from lung cancer. Here, we report a case of pulmonary colloid adenocarcinoma complicated by pulmonary actinomycosis.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Combined risk factors such as total gastrectomy, heavy alcohol consumption, smoking, and poor oral hygiene may contribute to the development of pulmonary actinomycosis. Here, we present a rare case of pulmonary actinomycosis triggered by total gastrectomy and heavy alcohol consumption. The patient presented with hemoptysis and a suspected lung mass.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Pulmonary infection caused by Tropheryma whipplei: a case report and review of the literature.

J Med Case Rep

December 2024

Jiangxi Medical Center for Critical Public Health Events, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, 330052, Jiangxi, People's Republic of China.

Background: Tropheryma whipplei pneumonia is an infrequent medical condition. The clinical symptoms associated with this disease are nonspecific, often resulting in misdiagnosis or missed diagnosis. Therefore, sharing and summarizing the experiences in the diagnosis and treatment of this disease can deepen global understanding and awareness of it.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Pulmonary actinomycosis is a rare lung infection caused by the bacterium Actinomyces and is often misdiagnosed as pulmonary tuberculosis or lung cancer due to its uncommon pulmonary presence.
  • Endobronchial actinomycosis, where the infection occurs in the bronchial tubes, is very rare, and there have been instances of broncholithiasis (calcium stones in the bronchial tubes) linked to it.
  • A case study of a 50-year-old male presenting with cough and hemoptysis (coughing up blood) revealed he had endobronchial actinomycosis with broncholithiasis, confirmed through a transbronchial biopsy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!