1 | INTRODUCTION
Actinomycosis is a chronic granulomatous infection caused by the
gram-positive anaerobic bacteria actinomyces, which form long branching
filaments that resemble the hyphae of fungi [1, 2]. Actinomyces is a
part of the normal flora that colonizes the mouth in humans [1, 2].
According to the site of involvement, actinomycosis infection is
classified into the following clinical forms: cervicofacial disease,
which is the most common, followed by abdominopelvic and pulmonary. The
pulmonary form of actinomycosis accounts only for around 15% of all
cases [2]. The incidence is higher in men in their fourth and fifth
decades (with male/female ratio being ≥ 3:1), and smokers with poor
dental hygiene are at increased risk [3]. The clinical and
radiological findings of pulmonary actinomycosis may mimic pneumonia,
tuberculosis, and malignancy, resulting in misdiagnosis and delay in
treatment [1, 2]. In this article, we report a rare case of
pulmonary actinomycosis in a patient with COPD associated with an
unusual clinical presentation of pleural effusion.