Pulmonary actinomycosis

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Respiratory system

Actinomycosis - pulmonary

The infection usually comes on slowly. It may be weeks or months before a doctor makes a diagnosis.

Symptoms include:

• Chest pain when taking a deep breath
• Cough with phlegm (sputum)
• Fever
• Lethargy
• Night sweats
• Shortness of breath
• Weight loss

Tests that may be done include:

• Bronchoscopy with culture
• Complete blood count (CBC)
• Chest x-ray
• Chest CT scan
• Lung biopsy
• Modified AFB smear of sputum
• Sputum culture
• Sputum Gram stain
• Thoracentesis with culture
• Tissue culture
• Tissue and fluid analysis

Review Date: 05/25/2010
Reviewed By: David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine; and Jatin M. Vyas, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor in Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Assistant in Medicine, Division of Infectious Disease, Massachusetts General Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org).

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