Hostname: page-component-5db58dd55d-jnbmb Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2026-07-09T09:36:36.506Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Actinomycosis of the middle ear

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 June 2013

PJ Kullar  and
P Yates
PJ Kullar*
Affiliation:
ENT Department, Freeman Hospital, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
P Yates
Affiliation:
ENT Department, Freeman Hospital, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
*
Address for correspondence: Mr P Kullar, ENT Department, Freeman Hospital, Newcastle upon Tyne NE7 7DN, UK Fax: 0191 223 1246 E-mail: peterkullar@hotmail.com
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Objective:

To present the first case of middle-ear actinomycosis in the UK in the last 60 years. The diagnosis and management of actinomycosis of the middle ear is also presented, as well as a review of the recent literature.

Case report:

This paper reports the case of a nine-year-old girl who presented with recurrent otorrhoea caused by actinomycosis. Mastoid exploration with clearance of the infected tissue, in conjunction with six months amoxicillin, resulted in long-term disease remission. Histology revealed Gram-positive, silver avid (on Grocott staining) and diastase-resistant periodic acid-Schiff negative staining of colonies; this profile was in keeping with the characteristic ‘sulphur granules’ of actinomycosis.

Conclusion:

Actinomycosis of the middle ear and mastoid is rare, with less than 45 cases presented in the worldwide literature. This case confirms that the disease should be treated with full surgical clearance and long-term antibiotics.

Keywords

Ear, MiddleMastoiditisActinomycosis

Information

Type
Clinical Records
Information
The Journal of Laryngology & Otology , Volume 127 , Issue 7 , July 2013 , pp. 712 - 715
Copyright
Copyright © JLO (1984) Limited 2013 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Article purchase

Temporarily unavailable

References

1Wong, VK, Turmezei, TD, Weston, VC. Actinomycosis. BMJ 2011;343:d6099CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
2Schultheiss, D. James Israel (1848–1926). Discoverer of actinomycosis and pioneer of kidney surgery [in German]. Aktuelle Urol 2008;39:105–8Google ScholarPubMed
3Ajal, M, Turner, J, Fagan, P, Walker, P. Actinomycosis oto-mastoiditis. J Laryngol Otol 1997;111:1069–71CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
4Smego, RA Jr, Foglia, G. Actinomycosis. Clin Infect Dis 1998;26:1255–61CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
5Patel, JB. 16S rRNA gene sequencing for bacterial pathogen identification in the clinical laboratory. Mol Diag 2001;6:313–21CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
6Welker, M. Proteomics for routine identification of microorganisms. Proteomics 2011;11:3143–53CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
7Gazzano, E, Chanteret, C, Duvillard, C, Folia, M, Romanet, P. A case of actinomycosis of the middle ear and a review of the literature. Int J Pediatr Otorhinolaryngol Extra 2010;5:70–3CrossRefGoogle Scholar
8Budenz, CL, Tajudeen, BA, Roehm, PC. Actinomycosis of the temporal bone and brain: case report and review of the literature. Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol 2010;119:313–18CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
9Shishegar, M, Hosseini, SH, Varedi, P, Mahmoodi, S, Ashraf, MJ, Faramarzi, A. Actinomycosis of the middle ear. Otol Neurotol 2009;30:686–7CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
10Mehta, D, Statham, M, Choo, D. Actinomycosis of the temporal bone with labyrinthine and facial nerve involvement. Laryngoscope 2007;117:1999–2001CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
11Sivarajasingam, M, Rajan, P. Temporal bone actinomycosis: a histopathologic report. Otol Neurotol 2007;28:869–70CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
12Sobol, SE, Samadi, DS, Wetmore, RF. Actinomycosis of the temporal bone: a report of a case. Ear Nose Throat J 2004;83:327–9CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
13Hoshino, T, Amano, H, Tanaka, K. Actinomycosis of the middle ear and mastoid. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol 1996;253:378–80CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
14Tarabichi, M, Schloss, M. Actinomycosis otomastoiditis. Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 1993;119:561–2CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
15Olson, TS, Seid, AB, Pransky, SM. Actinomycosis of the middle ear. Int J Pediatr Otorhinolaryngol 1989;17:51–5CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
16Shelton, C, Brackmann, DE. Actinomycosis otitis media. Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 1988;114:88–9CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
17Miglets, AW, Branson, D. Arachnia propionica (Actinomyces propionicus) as an unusual agent in tympanomastoiditis. Arch Otolaryngol 1983;109:410–12CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
18Leek, JH. Actinomycosis of the tympanomastoid. Laryngoscope 1974;84:290–301CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
19Fletcher, R. A rare case of chronic otorrhea with intracranial complications. Laryngoscope 1956;66:702–10CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
20Townrow, V, Barrie, HJ. Fatal Actinomyces infection of the middle ear. J Laryngol Otol 1945;60:329CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
21Oudidi, A, Hachimi, H, Ridal, M, El Alami, MN. Actinomycosis of the middle ear: case report [in French]. Rev Laryngol Otol Rhinol (Bord) 2005;126:29–32Google ScholarPubMed
22Skladzien, J, Trabka-Zawicki, P, Wierzchowski, W, Maciejak, K. Actinomycosis of the middle ear [in Polish]. Otolaryngol Pol 2002;56:369–71Google ScholarPubMed
23Boor, A, Jurkovic, I, Friedmann, I, Benicky, M, Dudrikova, K, Krajcar, R. Actinomycosis of the middle ear. J Laryngol Otol 1998;112:800–1CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
24Lester, FT, Juhasz, E. Actinomycosis of the ear. Ethiop Med J 1990;28:41–4Google ScholarPubMed
25Gattaz, G, Naujoks, JH. Actinomycosis of the middle ear [in German]. HNO 1984;32:65–8Google ScholarPubMed
26Gladkii, NI, Lisovets, VT, Shevchenko, AM. Actinomycosis of the ear [in Russian]. Vestn Otorinolaringol 1983:76–7Google ScholarPubMed
27Kunel'skaia, V, Chkannikov, AN, Kovalenko, EE. Actinomycosis of the ear [in Russian]. Vestn Otorinolaringol 1977:78–9Google ScholarPubMed
28Sinel'nikov, MM, Novikova, RK. Case of actinomycosis of the middle ear [in Russian]. Zh Ushn Nos Gorl Bolezn 1970;30:109–10Google ScholarPubMed
29Szlezak, L, Sowinski, H. Primary actinomycosis of the middle ear [in Polish]. Otolaryngol Pol 1965;19:191–5Google ScholarPubMed
30Kulina, TV. Actinomycosis of the middle ear and mastoid process [in Russian]. Vestn Otorinolaringol 1958;20:94Google ScholarPubMed
31Preobrazhenskii, NA. Actinomycosis of the ear [in Russian]. Vestn Otorinolaringol 1957;19:72–8Google ScholarPubMed