Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitanspneumonia with chest and abdominal wall involvement

Abstract

A 54-year-old man presented with a productive cough, chest pain, fever and weight loss. Initial analysis revealed a palpable chest wall mass and consolidation in the left lower lobe and pleural abnormalities on imaging. At that point no infectious cause or malignancy was identified. Microbiological analysis of a needle biopsy from a newly developed abdominal wall mass revealed growth of The patient was successfully treated with antibiotic therapy for 1 year. is a Gram-negative coccobacillus and is part of the normal oral flora. It is capable of causing infections in humans including periodontitis, soft tissue abscesses and systemic invasive infections, most commonly endocarditis.

Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans Causing Empyema Necessitans and Pyomyositis in an Immunocompetent Patient

“…Aggregatibacter (formerly Actinobacillus) actinomycetemcomitans is a slow-growing facultative anaerobic gram-negative coccobacillus [5][6][7]. Part of the normal oral flora, it frequently plays a pathogenic role in periodontal disease [5,6,8,9]. It has also been implicated as a causative agent in infective endocarditis, soft tissue abscesses, pneumonia, and osteomyelitis [6][7][8][9].…”

“…Part of the normal oral flora, it frequently plays a pathogenic role in periodontal disease [5,6,8,9]. It has also been implicated as a causative agent in infective endocarditis, soft tissue abscesses, pneumonia, and osteomyelitis [6][7][8][9]. Infection occurs via hematogenous dissemination or aspiration into the respiratory tract with direct invasion of surrounding structures in the setting of dental disease [5,6,7,9].…”

“…Cases of monomicrobial empyema necessitans due to Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans in adults have rarely been reported [5][6][7][8]. Table 1 summarizes the four previously reported patients.…”

“…His infection was complicated by pyomyositis of the right triceps brachii and a left posterior thigh abscess. Review of the literature revealed four previous publications of patients with monomicrobial empyema necessitans due to Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans [5][6][7][8].…”

MixedActinomyces israeliiandAggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitansinfection causing empyema necessitatis and multiple skin abscesses in an immunocompetent patient

“…A. actinomycetemcomitans is a Gram-negative, fastidious, coccoid or rod-shaped bacillus formerly known as Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans 1 2. It is an opportunistic pathogen and a component of normal oral flora strongly associated with periodontitis, and can cause endocarditis, bacteremia, polymicrobial wound infections, brain abscesses, endophthalmitis, glomerulonephritis, septic arthritis, pneumonia, empyema, cardiac device infections, spinal epidural abscess and osteomyelitis 3–53.…”