Intra-abdominal co-infection with Mycobacterium bovis and Actinomyces in an AIDS patient: The first reported case and review

The Mycobacterium tuberculous complex and Actinomyces can both cause indolent intra-abdominal infections that result in hard mass lesion(s), oftentimes fixed to underlying tissue and involving the right ileocecal fossa region. Although Actinomyces can present as a co-pathogen when anatomic barriers are compromised, its intra-abdominal co-infection with Mycobacterium bovis has not previously been reported. We present the first reported case of intra-abdominal co-infection with Actinomyces and Mycobacterium bovis, a member of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTB), in an AIDS patient and provide a discussion of the pathogenesis and a review of these infections, both individually and together.