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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.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.7759/cureus.78206 | DOI Listing |
Ethiop J Health Sci
May 2025
Sudan University of Science and Technology, Faculty of medicine Khartoum, Khartoum, SD.
We present the case of a 63-year-old male patient with a history of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), heavy smoking, and poor dental hygiene, who presented with progressive dyspnea, fever, and a productive cough. The patient was initially evaluated for pneumonia, but a chest radiograph revealed a right-sided pleural effusion. Further analysis of the pleural fluid showed an exudative effusion.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFront Med (Lausanne)
July 2025
Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Fuyang Infectious Disease Clinical College of Anhui Medical University, Fuyang, Anhui, China.
The emergence of next-generation sequencing (NGS) has significantly improved the detection rate of Actinomyces species in pulmonary actinomycosis (PA), a rare and diagnostically challenging infectious disease. Here, we report a case of an elderly patient with a history of pyoderma gangrenosum who presented with pulmonary infiltrates and was subsequently hospitalized. Both histopathological examination of tracheoscopic biopsy specimens and NGS analysis of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) confirmed infection with ().
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMedicine (Baltimore)
July 2025
Department of Pulmonology, Chengdu Sixth People's Hospital, Chengdu, China.
Rationale: Legionella pneumophila (LP) and Tropheryma whipplei (TW) have been identified as pathogens that can coexist in sewage environments, which can both cause pneumophila and can impact various organs, leading to extrapulmonary manifestations. It is rare to find literature on pneumonia caused by atypical pathogens, such as the combination of LP and TW. There are no reports on specific drug treatments for such combined infections.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Neurosurg Case Lessons
June 2025
Department of Neurosurgery, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas.
Background: Actinomycosis is a rare, globally distributed disease with an annual incidence of 1 case per 300,000 persons. It classically manifests as a cervicofacial disease with sinus tract formation and purulent discharge with or without sulfur granules. Spinal compromise occurs in less than 5% of cases; however, it causes significant morbidity associated with neurological impairment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Infect Chemother
August 2025
Department of Clinical Laboratory, Qingdao Central Hospital, University of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Qingdao, 266000, China; College of Marine Life Sciences, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China. Electronic address:
Whipple's disease (WD) is a rare chronic infectious illness caused by Tropheryma whipplei (T.whipplei), primarily affecting the gastrointestinal tract and joints, with rare lung involvement. Diagnosis can be challenging due to nonspecific symptoms and the difficulty in isolating the bacterium.
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