infections
Actinomycosis
Symptoms of Actinomycosis
Actinomycosis has several forms. All cause abscesses, scar tissue, and fistulas. Actinomycesbacteria infect the intestine, usually the area near the appendix, and the lining of the abdominal cavity (peritoneum). Chronic abdominal pain, fever, vomiting, diarrhea or constipation, and severe weight loss are common symptoms. Fistulas may form from the interior of the abdomen to the skin above it and between the intestine and other organs. The bacteria spread to the uterus, usually from an IUD that has been in place for years. Abscesses and scar tissue may form in the fallopian tubes, ovaries, and nearby organs such as the bladder and ureters. Fistulas may form between these organs. Symptoms include chronic abdominal or pelvic pain, fever, weight loss, and vaginal bleeding and discharge. Usually, small, hard, sometimes painful swellings develop in the mouth and on the face, neck, or skin below the jaw (called lumpy jaw). These swellings may soften and discharge pus that contains small, round, yellowish granules. The infection may extend to the cheek, tongue, throat, salivary glands, skull, bones of the neck (cervical vertebrae) and face, brain, or the space within the tissues covering the brain (meninges). This form affects the chest (thorax). People have chronic chest pain and fever. They lose weight and cough, sometimes bringing up sputum. People probably become infected when they inhale into their lungs fluids that contain bacteria. Abscesses may form in the lungs and eventually spread to the membrane between the lungs and chest wall (pleura). There, abscesses cause irritation (pleuritis), and infected fluid collects (called an empyema). Fistulas may form, enabling the infection to spread to the ribs, skin of the chest, and spine. The infection may spread extensively before it causes any symptoms. Symptoms include chest pain, fever, and a productive cough. Rarely, the bacteria are carried in the bloodstream to infect other organs, such as the brain, spine, lungs, liver, kidneys, and heart valves. In women, the reproductive organs may be infected. Symptoms vary depending on which organs are affected. For example, people may have a headache, back pain, or abdominal pain. 