Pelvic actinomycosis

Tedeschi A, Di Mezza G, D Amico O, et al. A case of pelvic actinomycosis presenting as cutaneous fistula. Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Bio/. 2003 108 103-105. 

In the majority of cases, tuboovarian abscesses (TOA) result from pelvic inflammatory disease. It is reported to complicate PID in up to one-third of patients hospitalized for treatment [6]. Other etiologies include complications of surgery or intra-abdominal inflammatory bowel diseases, such as appendicitis, diverticulitis, or Crohn disease. In most cases, TOA is caused by a polymicrobial infection with a high prevalence of anaerobes. lUD users, especially in the first few months after insertion, are also under a higher risk of PID. Pelvic actinomycosis is considered to be highly associated with the use of lUD [1]. 

The device is removed for the following reasons pelvic infection, endometritis, genital actinomycosis (a non contagious bacterial infection), intradable pelvic pain, pregnancy, endometrial or cervical malignancy, increase in length of the threads extending from the cervix or any other indication of partial expulsion. 

Genital tract actinomycosis has come increasingly to the fore (33,34). In one study in Britain, the pelvic smears of nearly one-third of women using plastic devices were positive for Actinomyces-like organisms, compared with... 

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