title: Mandibular Actinomyces Infection Mimicking a Malignancy: Case Report.
abstract: Actinomycosis is a rare, chronic, suppurative and granulomatous disease caused by Actinomyces israelii, which is a filamentous, anaerobic, gram-positive, saprophytic organism in the oral cavity. Diagnosis of actinomycosis depends on positive culture or identification of Actinomyces colonies and sulfur granules in histological specimens. In our case, a mass had been growing in the mandible for eight months. The mass appeared to be malignant, both clinically and radiologically. A histopathological examination of the mandible revealed actinomycosis. It should be noted that actinomycosis can mimic a malignancy, and for differential diagnosis, bone biopsy or fine-needle aspiration should be performed pre-operatively.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Pathology, Yüzüncü Yıl University, Faculty of Medicine, VAN, TURKEY.
authors.forename: Gülay
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bulut
authors.forename: Yasemin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Bayram
authors.forename: Mehmet Deniz
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Bulut
authors.forename: Mehmet Fatih
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Garça
authors.forename: İrfan
authors.initials: İ
authors.lastname: Bayram
mesh_terms: D000196:Actinomycosis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology*; D000293:Adolescent; D044963:Biopsy, Fine-Needle; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008336:Mandibular Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008339:Mandibular Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis; D010019:Osteomyelitis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000382:microbiology