Actinomyces turicensis: a peculiar case of empyema after COVID-19 in a patient with ulcerative colitis

Published: 9 May 2024
Abstract Views: 107
PDF: 41
Publisher's note
All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

Authors

Actinomyces species are recognized as common mucosal bacteria in humans and as a newly discovered source of infection. Since its discovery in 1995, the subspecies Actinomyces turicensis has been reported as the causative pathogen of numerous infections. Only two instances of A. turicensis-related empyema, however, have been documented in the literature as of late. We report a unique case of polymicrobial empyema caused by A. turicensis shortly after a COVID-19 without any clear risk factors for anaerobic aspiration, along with a brief review of the literature. Tetracycline was successfully used for the first time to treat A. turicensis empyema, following chest drainage.

Dimensions

Altmetric

PlumX Metrics

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Citations

Valour F, Sénéchal A, Dupieux C, et al. Actinomycosis: etiology, clinical features, diagnosis, treatment, and management. Infect Drug Resist 2014;7:183-97. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2147/IDR.S39601
Könönen E, Wade WG. Actinomyces and related organisms in human infections. Clin Microbiol Rev 2015;28:419-42. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1128/CMR.00100-14
Smego Jr RA, Foglia G. Actinomycosis. Clin Infect Dis 1998;26:1255-61. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1086/516337
Sabbe LJ, Van De Merwe D, Schouls L, et al. Clinical spectrum of infections due to the newly described Actinomyces species A. turicensis, A. radingae, and A. europaeus. J Clin Microbiol 1999;37:8-13. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1128/JCM.37.1.8-13.1999
Johnson SW, Billatos E. Polymicrobial empyema: a novel case of Actinomyces turicensis. Respir Med Case Rep 2021;32:101365. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rmcr.2021.101365
Agrafiotis AC, Lardinois I. Pleural empyema caused by Actinomyces turicensis. New Microbes New Infect 2021;41:100892. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nmni.2021.100892
Russo TA. Agents of actinomycosis. In: Principles and practice of infectious disease. 5th edition. Mandell GL (eds.). Philadelphia: Elsevier, Churchill Livingstone; 1995:2645-54.
Kim SR, Jung LY, Oh IJ, et al. Pulmonary actinomycosis during the first decade of 21st century: cases of 94 patients. BMC Infect Dis 2013;13:216. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2334-13-216
Mabeza GF, Macfarlane J. Pulmonary actinomyces. Eur Respir J 2003;21:545-51. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1183/09031936.03.00089103
Hall V, Talbot PR, Stubbs SL, Duerden BI. Identification of clinical isolates of Actinomyces species by amplified 16S ribosomal DNA restriction analysis. J Clin Microbiol. 2001;39:3555-62. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1128/JCM.39.10.3555-3562.2001
Hoheisel A, Herrmann MJ, Kassi E, et al. Actinomyces meyeri pleural empyema: a case report. IDCases 2021;26:e01278. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.idcr.2021.e01278
Cheon JE, Im JG, Kim MY, et al. Thoracic actinomycosis: CT findings. Radiology 1998;209:229-33. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1148/radiology.209.1.9769836
Smith AJ, Hall V, Thakker B, Gemmell CG. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing of Actinomyces species with 12 antimicrobial agents. J Antimicrob Chemother 2005;56:407-9. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/jac/dki206
Steininger C, Willinger B. Resistance patterns in clinical isolates of pathogenic Actinomyces species. J Antimicrob Chemother 2016;71:422-7. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/jac/dkv347
Hooper C, Lee YCG, Maskell N. Investigation of a unilateral pleural effusion in adults: British Thoracic Society Pleural Disease Guideline 2010. Thorax 2010;65:ii4-ii17- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1136/thx.2010.136978
Freire MP, Oliveira MS, Magri MMC, et al., HCFMUSP COVID-19 Study Group, Levin AS. Frequency and factors associated with hospital readmission after COVID-19 hospitalization: the importance of post-COVID diarrhea. Clinics (Sao Paulo). 2022;77:100061. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clinsp.2022.100061
Guarin G, Lo KB, Bhargav R, et al. Factors associated with hospital readmissions among patients with COVID‐19: a single‐center experience. J Med Virol 2021;93:5582‐7. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/jmv.27104
Romero-Duarte Á, Rivera-Izquierdo M, Guerrero-Fernández de Alba I, et al. Sequelae, persistent symptomatology and outcomes after COVID-19 hospitalization: the ANCOHVID multicentre 6-month follow-up study. BMC Med 2021;19:129. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-021-02003-7
Topić MB, Desnica B, Vicković N, et al. The polymicrobial Actinomyces naeslundii and Pseudomonas aeruginosa sepsis in a patient with ulcerative colitis 2 months after colonoscopy. Wien Klin Wochenschr 2014;126:130-2. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00508-013-0471-7
Cunha F, Sousa DL, Trindade L, Duque V. Disseminated cutaneous Actinomyces bovis infection in an immunocompromised host: case report and review of the literature. BMC Infect Dis 2022;22:310. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12879-022-07282-w

How to Cite

Marzi, F., D’Errico, A., Alessandri, M., De Crescenzo, V., & Manini, M. (2024). <i>Actinomyces turicensis</i>: a peculiar case of empyema after COVID-19 in a patient with ulcerative colitis. Italian Journal of Medicine, 18(2). https://doi.org/10.4081/itjm.2024.1708