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Abdominal actinomycosis masquerading as colon cancer in a liver transplant recipient
Author(s) -
Laish I.,
Benjaminov O.,
Morgenstern S.,
Greif F.,
BenAri Z.
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
transplant infectious disease
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.69
H-Index - 67
eISSN - 1399-3062
pISSN - 1398-2273
DOI - 10.1111/j.1399-3062.2011.00669.x
Subject(s) - medicine , actinomycosis , malignancy , colonoscopy , colorectal cancer , abdominal pain , abdominal mass , surgery , cancer , liver transplantation , transplantation , radiology , pathology
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.