Cervical spondylitis and spinal abscess due to Actinomyces meyeri

Human actinomycosis with involvement of the spine is a rare condition although it has been first described a long time ago. It is probably underrecognized since its clinical presentation is often misleading and accurate bacteriological diagnosis is challenging. We herein report a rare case of cervic...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Alexandre Duvignaud, Emmanuel Ribeiro, Daniel Moynet, Maïté Longy-Boursier, Denis Malvy
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2014-01-01
Series:Brazilian Journal of Infectious Diseases
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1413867013002390
Description
Summary:Human actinomycosis with involvement of the spine is a rare condition although it has been first described a long time ago. It is probably underrecognized since its clinical presentation is often misleading and accurate bacteriological diagnosis is challenging. We herein report a rare case of cervical actinomycosis with paravertebral abscess and spondylitis imputed to an infection by Actinomyces meyeri in a 52-year-old immunocompetent Caucasian man. A. meyeri should be considered as a potential cause for subacute or chronic spondylitis, even in immunocompetent subjects. Modern diagnostic tools such as Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption–Ionization Time of Flight mass spectrometry and 16S rRNA sequencing are efficient for accurate microbiological identification. Keywords: Actinomyces, Spondylitis, MALDI–TOF mass spectrometry, 16S rRNA
ISSN:1413-8670