Colonoscopy in abdominal actinomycosis

Abdominal actinomycosis has been called “one of the greatest imitators in clinical practice.”1 In addition, its variety makes it difficult to accumulate experience with the disease. Actinomycosis is a chronic suppurative infection due to a grampositive, non-spore-forming, anaerobic bacteria. The organisms are indigenous in the oral cavity, GI tract, and genital tracts, with opportunistic infection occurring when the mucosal barrier is broken,2 leading to multiple abscess formation, fistula, or a mass lesion. Actinomycosis has three major forms of clinical manifestation: cervicofascial, thoracic,3 and abdominal.4 We present a case of abdominal actinomycosis with an interesting endoscopic and radiologic picture.