Actinomycosis of the middle ear.

Actinomycosis is an uncommon infection of the middle ear. Only 21 cases of actinomycosis of the middle ear have been reported in the English literature prior to this paper. The offending organism is Actinomyces israelii, which is an anaerobic, filamentous organism that is difficult to grow in culture. The infection is chronic and is seldom diagnosed prior to tympanomastoidectomy. The identification of small, yellow, glue-like masses, which are called sulfur granules, is often the key to making the diagnosis of actinomycosis of the middle ear. Following tympanomastoidectomy, penicillin is given orally for 3-6 months.