A Case of Pulmonary Actinomycosis Induced by Tooth Aspiration

Abstract

We report a case of pulmonary actinomycosis induced by tooth aspiration. A 53-year-old man complained of fever, cough, and sputum. He experienced recurrent pneumonia in the right middle lobe. Because of concomitant infectious bullae in bilateral lung apices, he underwent bullectomy and resection of right middle lobe. Pathological examination of the right middle lobe revealed pulmonary actinomycosis. Four months later he was readmitted due to right lower lobe pneumonia. Antibiotics were prescribed and a tooth which was lost a year ago was expectorated. Thus his pulmonary actinomycosis was thought to be induced by tooth aspiration.