Urachal actinomycosis mimicking carcinomatosis: a case report and review of literature

Actinomyces Israeli is found to be generally involved with cervicofacial (60%), followed by abdominopelvic (25%) and thoracic (15%) region. However, urachal actinomycosis is an extremely rare occurrence, represented by limited cases. This report described a 41-year-old man infected with Actinomyces Israeli who underwent partial cystectomy. Histological examination showed the typical colony which led to the diagnosis of A.Israeli infection. Finally, he was discharged home after a 4-month course of intravenous penicillin without significant complications. Review of the English literature revealed seven cases of urachal actinomycosis in the recent two decades. The median age was 37 years (range, 22-70) with a male/female ratio of 1.3:1. The treatment of A.Israeli was antibiotics combined with surgery. The duration of antibiotic therapy ranged from three to six months. Urachal actinomycosis is a relatively infrequent disease with nonspecific clinical and radiological features and is easily confused with urachal carcinoma.