A case of pulmonary actinomycosis.

Jang, Jie Jung; Kim, Sung Su; Kim, Chi Hong; Kwon, Soon Seog; Kim, Young Kyoon; Kim, Kwan Hyoung; Han, Ki Don; Moon, Hwa Sik; Song, Jeong Sup; Park, Sung Hak; Seo, Eun Ju

doi:1992.39.5.438

Tuberc Respir Dis > Volume 39(5); 1992 > Article

Case Report

Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases 1992;39(5):438-442.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.4046/trd.1992.39.5.438 Published online October 1, 1992.

A case of pulmonary actinomycosis.

Jie Jung Jang¹, Sung Su Kim¹, Chi Hong Kim¹, Soon Seog Kwon¹, Young Kyoon Kim¹, Kwan Hyoung Kim¹, Ki Don Han¹, Hwa Sik Moon¹, Jeong Sup Song¹, Sung Hak Park¹, Eun Ju Seo²

¹Department of Internal Medicine, Calholic University medical College, Seoul, Korea
²Department of Clinical Pathology, Calholic University medical College, Seoul, Korea

Abstract

Actinomycosis is a chronic suppurative infection characterized by extensive necrosis, fibrosis and sinus formation without regard to normal tissue planes. The causative organism in human infection is Actinomyces israelii. Thoracic actinomycosis is diagnosed in the presence of poor oral hygiene, pulmonary infiltrate, empyema, sinus tract and osteomyelitis of ribs. However, in the absence of chest wall involvement, the diagnosis of pulmonary actinomycosis is difficult and its initial clinical manifestations may lead physicians to suspect tuberculosis or neoplasm. It could not be distinguished from tuberculosis or neoplasm radiogically. We report a case of pulmonary actinomycosis in a 64 year old woman with a review of the literature.

Key Words: Pulmonary actinomycosis