Pelvic actinomycosis: A review and preliminary look at prevalence

A review of the literature on pelvic actinomycosis reveals that actinomycetes normally reside in the female genital tract. Therefore the identification of actinomycetes in the vagina or cervix by any laboratory technique, including Papanicolaou smears with specific immunofluorescence or culture, is...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:American journal of obstetrics and gynecology 1999-02, Vol.180 (2), p.265-269
Main Author: Lippes, Jack
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Actinomyces - isolation & purification
Actinomycetes
Actinomycosis - epidemiology
Bacterial diseases
Bacterial diseases of the genital system
Biological and medical sciences
Female
Genitalia, Female - microbiology
Human bacterial diseases
Humans
Infectious diseases
intrauterine contraceptive device (IUD)
Intrauterine Devices - adverse effects
Medical sciences
pathogenesis
Pelvic Inflammatory Disease - epidemiology
prevalence
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Summary:A review of the literature on pelvic actinomycosis reveals that actinomycetes normally reside in the female genital tract. Therefore the identification of actinomycetes in the vagina or cervix by any laboratory technique, including Papanicolaou smears with specific immunofluorescence or culture, is not diagnostic of any disease and is not predictive of any disease. The evidence strongly suggests that removal of the intrauterine contraceptive device of a patient with a positive culture is not necessary and that, in the absence of evidence for pelvic infection, antibiotics are not required. Pelvic actinomycosis is a rare disease whose pathogenesis is poorly understood. (Am J Obstet Gynecol 1999;180:265-9.)
ISSN:0002-9378
1097-6868
DOI:10.1016/S0002-9378(99)70198-5