Presentation and treatment of actinomycetoma in Tawam Hospital, Al Ain, UAE

Of ten cases of actinomycetoma seen over a period of 12 years at Tawam Hospital, United Arab Emirates, all occurred in adults, of whom eight were males. There were equal numbers of foreign residents and UAE nationals. The main aetiological agent was Streptomyces somaliensis, and the only complication, occurring in six of the ten patients, was bone involvement beneath the skin lesions. Response to surgical and ketoconazole treatment proved to be unsatisfactory while a combination of rifampicin, co-trimoxazole and amikacin produced good results.