A rare case of Actinomyces meyeri empyema: Still a challenging entity to manage

Vera Clérigo*, Lígia Fernandes, Amélia Feliciano, Lurdes Carvalho

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

7 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Actinomyces meyeri is a rare pathogen and an infrequent cause of human actinomycosis. Less than ten cases were reported in the English-literature to date concerning A. meyeri empyema. We herein report a case to promote the awareness and adequate management of the disease. A 44-year-old immunocompetent male with known pulmonary disease was diagnosed with an A. meyeri empyema. He underwent chest tube drainage and a short-term treatment with clindamycin for 4 months. This is the first report of a patient with structural pulmonary disease with an A. meyeri empyema treated with 4-month of clindamycin and chest tube drainage. In comparison to previous reports, our case was diagnosed early, empyema was effectively drained with one chest tube and symptoms and radiological findings were rapidly improved. Short-term antibiotic treatment can be well succeeded if an early diagnosis is made, there is no evidence of dissemination and adequate management is promptly instituted.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)203-205
Number of pages3
JournalRespiratory Medicine Case Reports
Volume22
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2017
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Actinomyces meyeri
  • Empyema
  • Management

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