Musculoskeletal actinomycosis in children: a case report

BMC Infectious Diseases

Lihua Zhao¹  Qin Jiao¹  Xiaolu Li²  Yani Mou²  Yongmei Xiao²  Ting Zhang³  Yizhong Wang³ 

[1] Department of Orthopedics, Shanghai Children’s Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China;Institute of Pediatric Infection, Immunity and Critical Care Medicine, Shanghai Children’s Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China;Institute of Pediatric Infection, Immunity and Critical Care Medicine, Shanghai Children’s Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China;Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, Shanghai Children’s Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China;

关键词: Actinomycosis;    Actinomyces;    Children;    Ampicillin;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12879-021-06890-2

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundActinomycosis is a rare infectious disease caused by Actinomyces, especially in children. Here, we present a case of musculoskeletal actinomycosis in a 5-year-old girl from China.Case presentationA 5-year-old girl presented with recurrent episodes of fever, pain, erythema, swelling, and festering sores on the right lower extremity, and pus was discharged from a sinus in the right foot. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) suggested subcutaneous soft tissue infection and osteomyelitis of the right crus. A bacterial culture of pus extracted from a festering sore on the right popliteal fossa detected the growth of Actinomycetes europaeus. The patient was cured with 7 weeks of treatment with intravenous ampicillin-sulbactam, followed by 6 weeks of treatment with oral amoxicillin-clavulanate with surgical debridement and drainage. There were no symptoms of recurrence during the 15-month period of follow-up.ConclusionsPediatric actinomycosis is a rare and challenging infectious disease. Early accurate diagnosis and optimal surgical debridement are important for the management of pediatric actinomycosis.

【 授权许可】

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