Thoracic actinomycosis in children: case report and review of the literature.

Thoracic actinomycosis is uncommon, indolent, and often not considered in children with chest wall masses, pneumonia, or empyema. We present a 27-month-old girl without risk factors for thoracic actinomycosis whose initial diagnosis was malignancy. She recovered completely after lobectomy, debridement, and antimicrobial therapy. Literature review since 1975 identified 54 additional cases; most were male, older, and had underlying risk factors.