Rare Infection & Case Studies

Actinomycosis

Nocardiae or actinomycetes are involved in the causation of diverse clinical syndromes ranging from a localized lesion like mycetoma to a systemic disease like pulmonary or cerebral nocardiosis. The pulmonary nocardiosis mimics as tuberculosis at all the stages. Nocardia are aerobic actinomyces, gram positive filamentous partially acid fast , non-spore forming, non-capsulated, non-motile bacteria. Nocardia also mimics like fungi on sabouraud's dextrose agar slant and like mycobacteria on Lowenstein Jensen's agar medium. Most studies on nocardiosis has been reported from northern India. Few reports are available from the western zone of India including Maharashtra. No such reports are available from Gujarat.

Out of the total 8 cases studied red grain mycetoma of foot caused by Actinomadura pelletieri was the first case reported by us from Gujarat state. Black grain mycetoma caused by Madurella mycetometis has also been reported for the first time by us from a child aged 14 years. Another patient studied by us was found to be suffering from actinomycosis of back which is rarely reported site of infection by Actinomadura madurae.