Actinomyces peritonitis: removal of the peritoneal catheter unnecessary for resolution

Peritonitis is one of the most frequent complications in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients. Most of them have a bacterial origin, especially gram-positive microorganisms. Actinomyces peritonitis is rare in PD patients, in spite of being part of the normal flora in the oral cavity, gastrointestinal and genital tracts [1]. Actinomyces is a filamentous gram-positive bacterium that lives in aerobic and anaerobic conditions [1]. It has a low virulence potential, usually causing opportunistic diseases. Factors that predispose towards abdominal Actinomyces infections include surgery, trauma, neoplasia or a perforated viscus. Penicillin is still the treatment of choice, but there are other effective antibiotics, such as erythromycin, clindamycin or tetracycline [2]. Actinomyces israelii is the major human pathogen of this species. We report a peritoneal infection due to Actinomyces neuii, a microorganism firstly described in 1985. In the present case, the removal of the catheter was not necessary for healing, unlike other cases published in the literature.