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This article discusses a case of abdominopelvic actinomycosis, a serious complication in intrauterine device users. Actinomycosis is an infrequent chronic suppurative granulomatous disease. The normal guest situation of actinomyces is altered when it penetrates into deep tissues through a solution of continuity in the mucosa. In the case discussed here, a 41-year-old woman, who has used an IUD for 8 years, was admitted to the emergency department because of abdominal pain of several days evolution. On examination the patient was pyretic, with a soft abdomen and pain on palpation in the hypogastrium and right lower quadrant, where a deep, poorly delimited mass was palpated, which was painful. The use of radiological studies to establish a diagnosis of abdominopelvic actinomycosis has been the subject of numerous publications, but the lack of specific radiological signs is evident.

The article presents a case report on actinomycotic pelvic inflammatory disease. A 35-year-old woman was admitted to the hospital with a 15-day history of lower abdominal pain associated with fever and vomiting of 7 days duration. Actinomyces israelii, a common saprophyte, cannot penetrate through the normally intact mucosal barrier, and is found in the mouth and gut but not in the vagina. The clinical expression of pelvic actinomycosis ranges from asymptomatic cervical colonization, as detected by the Papanicolaou smear, to endometritis and tuboovarian abscesses with fever, pelvic pain and pelvic mass.

Reviews the book "Actinomycosis," by M. Bronner and M. Bronner.