Cervical mycetoma: an infectious disease that behaves like cancer

The mycetoma is a pathological condition in which fungal or actinomycotic exogenous agents produce parasitic buds.1 The rural population is most exposed to the infection due to small injuries sustained in contact with thorny shrubs harboring the infectious agent. Clinically the disease is characterized by swelling, and sinuses in the affected part. Another characteristic feature of mycetoma is the formation of aggregates of the organism (grains) in the tissues, which are visible to the naked eye and are discharged through sinuses in the skin. The grains vary in colour, size and consistency depending on the causative agent.2 The treatment is primarily surgical in the case of fungal mycetomas and medicinal in the case of actinomycotic mycetomas. Both types of treatments are problematic, having rather variable results. We report a 13 years senegalese boy with cervical fungeal mycetoma ; he has multiple sinus tracts drain granulecontaining pus. The aim of this work is to report a rare location of fungal mycetoma and to discuss therapeutic difficulties.