[Pathogenesis of abdominal actinomycosis]

Area of Science:

• Infectious Diseases
• Surgical Pathology
• Microbiology

Context:

• Actinomycosis is a rare bacterial infection.
• Appendicitis and appendectomy are common surgical procedures.
• The ileocecal region is a frequent site for abdominal actinomycosis.

Purpose:

• To investigate the relationship between appendicitis/appendectomy and abdominal actinomycosis.
• To determine the incidence of actinomycosis in patients with acute appendicitis.
• To describe the patterns of actinomycosis spread from the ileocecal region.

Summary:

• 80 of 125 observed patients developed abdominal actinomycosis, often linked to appendicular inflammation or post-appendectomy.
• 5 of 100 patients with acute appendicitis were diagnosed with ileocecal actinomycosis.
• Actinomycosis spread from the ileocecal region to retroperitoneal cellular tissue (23 cases), left iliac region (12 cases), and lesser pelvis (8 cases).

Impact:

• Highlights a potential complication of appendicitis and appendectomy.
• Informs differential diagnosis for persistent or recurrent abdominal infections post-surgery.
• Provides data on the contiguous spread of actinomycosis in the abdominal cavity.