Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans pneumonia with chest wall and subphrenic abscess

Scand J Infect Dis. 1995;27(3):289-90. doi: 10.3109/00365549509019023.

Abstract

A 14-year-old girl had progressive dyspnea and right lower chest pain for about 1 1/2 months and a weight loss of 3 kg in 2 months. Chest X-ray revealed right pleural effusion and a round infiltration over the right lower chest, initially suspected to be malignant. Image study revealed consolidation in the right middle and lower lobes with abscess-like lesions around the right lower pleura and transdiaphrenic involvement to the subphrenic region. The lesion had also invaded the intercostal muscle. The pleural abscess was obtained by fiberoptic thoracoscopy, and culture of the pus grew typical colonies of Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans. After the causative microorganism had been identified, cefoxitin was given for 2 weeks followed by oral amoxicillin (250 mg/6 h) for a total period of 3 months. Follow-up chest X-ray revealed resolution of the lung lesions and the patient recovered gradually without any sequelae.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Abscess / diagnosis*
  • Abscess / drug therapy
  • Abscess / microbiology
  • Actinobacillus Infections / diagnosis*
  • Actinobacillus Infections / drug therapy
  • Actinobacillus Infections / etiology
  • Adolescent
  • Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans / isolation & purification*
  • Amoxicillin / therapeutic use
  • Cefoxitin / therapeutic use
  • Cephamycins / therapeutic use
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Penicillins / therapeutic use
  • Pneumonia, Bacterial / diagnosis*
  • Pneumonia, Bacterial / drug therapy
  • Pneumonia, Bacterial / etiology
  • Radiography, Thoracic
  • Subphrenic Abscess / diagnosis*
  • Subphrenic Abscess / drug therapy
  • Subphrenic Abscess / microbiology
  • Thoracic Diseases / diagnosis*
  • Thoracic Diseases / drug therapy
  • Thoracic Diseases / microbiology

Substances

  • Cephamycins
  • Penicillins
  • Cefoxitin
  • Amoxicillin