Abdominal actinomycosis masquerading as colon cancer in a liver transplant recipient

Infections in transplant recipients are associated with high morbidity and mortality, making their early recognition and treatment particularly important. Abdominal actinomycosis is a rare clinical entity and difficult to diagnose because of its various and nonspecific features. We describe a 57‐yea...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Transplant infectious disease 2012-02, Vol.14 (1), p.86-90
Main Authors: Laish, I., Benjaminov, O., Morgenstern, S., Greif, F., Ben‐Ari, Z.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Abdomen - pathology
Abdomen - surgery
Abdominal Pain
Actinomyces
actinomycosis
Actinomycosis - diagnosis
Actinomycosis - diagnostic imaging
Actinomycosis - surgery
Colonic Neoplasms - diagnosis
Colonic Neoplasms - diagnostic imaging
Colonic Neoplasms - surgery
Diagnosis, Differential
Humans
liver transplant
Liver Transplantation - adverse effects
Male
Middle Aged
Radiography, Abdominal
Tomography, X-Ray Computed
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Summary:Infections in transplant recipients are associated with high morbidity and mortality, making their early recognition and treatment particularly important. Abdominal actinomycosis is a rare clinical entity and difficult to diagnose because of its various and nonspecific features. We describe a 57‐year‐old patient who presented with abdominal actinomycosis simulating colon cancer 6 years after liver transplantation. The main symptom was abdominal pain. Abdominal computed tomography and colonoscopy revealed an intraluminal 4.5 cm mass in the right colon, raising suspicions of a colonic malignancy and leading to surgical intervention. The postoperative pathologic study showed sulfur granules in the resected specimen compatible with abdominal actinomycosis. No signs of recurrence were seen throughout the 6‐month follow‐up. The literature on actinomycosis infections in immune‐compromised hosts is reviewed. This presentation of actinomycosis in a liver transplant recipient has not been described previously, to our knowledge.
ISSN:1398-2273
1399-3062
DOI:10.1111/j.1399-3062.2011.00669.x