Synonyms
Actinomyces infection
Definition
Von Langenbeck first described actinomycosis in man in 1845 and considered a fungus as the causative agent. In 1878, Israel first isolated this microorganism in humans from necropsy samples and observed its anaerobic nature. In the 1960s, Waksman demonstrated that it was a gram-positive bacteria.
Although the name suggests fungal disease, actinomycosis is an uncommon infection caused by anaerobic, gram-positive, filamentous, nonsporulating bacteria called Actinomyces spp. There are about 20 Actinomyces spp recognized in humans. The species more involved in actinomycosis are A. israelii, A. viscosus, A. naeslundii, and A. gerencseriae. These microorganisms are normally found in oral cavity, upper respiratory tract, gastrointestinal tract, and female genital tract. They can develop an opportunistic infection when mucosal integrity is disrupted. There is no documented person-to-person transmission of this infection.
Actinomyceshave low...
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References and Further Reading
Acevedo, F., Baudrand, R., Letelier, L. M., & Gaete, P. (2008). Actinomycosis: A great pretender. Case reports of unusual presentations and a review of the literature. International Journal of Infectious Diseases, 12(4), 358–362. Epub 2008 Mar 4.
Choi, M. M., Baek, J. H., Lee, J. N., Park, S., & Lee, W. S. (2009). Clinical features of abdominopelvic actinomycosis: Report of twenty cases and literature review. Yonsei Medical Journal, 50(4), 555–559. Epub 2009 Aug 19.
Garner, J. P., Macdonald, M., & Kumar, P. K. (2007). Abdominal actinomycosis. International Journal of Surgery, 5(6), 441–448. Epub 2006 Aug 10.
Hall, V. (2008). Actinomyces–gathering evidence of human colonization and infection. Anaerobe, 14(1), 1–7. Epub 2007 Dec 5.
Lancella, A., Abbate, G., Foscolo, A. M., & Dosdegani, R. (2008). Two unusual presentations of cervicofacial actinomycosis and review of the literature. Acta Otorhinolaryngologica Italica, 28(2), 89–93.
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Hiraki, K.R.N. (2016). Actinomycosis. In: Hofman, P. (eds) Infectious Disease and Parasites. Encyclopedia of Pathology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-30009-2_998
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-30009-2_998
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