Clinical Presentation and Diagnosis of Actinomycosis

Diagnostic Characteristics and Clinical Forms

• The American College of Radiology notes that thoracic/pulmonary actinomycosis frequently mimics lung cancer or tuberculosis on imaging, presenting with chronic cough, chest pain, weight loss, and low-grade fever in smokers with poor dental hygiene 1, 2
• The European Respiratory Journal reports that thoracic/pulmonary actinomycosis may show consolidation, cavitation, or mass lesions that cross tissue planes, and can extend through the chest wall creating draining sinuses 1