Actinomycosis

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Definition

Actinomycosis is an infection primarily caused by the bacterium Actinomyces israelii. Infection most often occurs in the face and neck region and is characterized by the presence of a slowly enlarging, hard, red lump.

Description

Actinomycosis is a relatively rare infection occurring in one out of 300,000 (1/300,000) people per year. It is characterized by the presence of a lump or mass that often forms, draining sinus tracts to the skin surface. Fifty percent of actinomycosis cases are of the head and neck region (also called "lumpy jaw" and "cervicofacial actinomycosis"), 15% are in the chest, 20% are in the abdomen, and the rest are in the pelvis, heart, and brain. Men are three times more likely to develop actinomycosis than women.

— Belinda Rowland, PhD

Dictionary: ac·ti·no·my·co·sis  (ăk'tə-nō-mī-kō'sĭs)

An inflammatory disease of cattle, hogs, and sometimes humans, caused by microorganisms of the genus Actinomyces and characterized by lumpy tumors of the mouth, neck, chest, and abdomen. Also called lumpy jaw.

(lumpy jaw), an infection of humans and some animal species caused by species of Actinomyces, which are gram-positive, filamentous, micro-aerophilic microorganisms.

Actinomycosis. (Regezi/Sciubba/Jordan, 2003)

In cattle, caused by Actinomyces bovis, commonly a rarefying osteomyelitis of the bones of the head particularly the maxilla and mandible. There is obvious swelling of the bone which is painful and causes interference with eating, and sinuses onto the cheek which discharge sticky, honey-like material containing granules. Rare occurrences are granulomatous lesions of the skin about the head, soft tissue lesions in the testicles and sow mammary gland, and infection of the esophageal groove causing a vagus indigestion. Called also lumpy jaw. See also actinobacillosis, actinomycotic.
In dogs and cats, actinomycosis usually consists of localized pyogranulomatous infections, most often in subcutaneous tissues around the head and neck, bone, and thoracic or abdominal cavities. Disseminated infections are uncommon. See also nocardiosis.

• cutaneous a. — see mycotic dermatitis.

Actinomycosis
Classification & external resources

A patient with Actinomycosis on the right side of the face.
ICD-10	A42.
ICD-9	039
DiseasesDB	145
eMedicine	med/31
MeSH	D000196

Actinomycosis (ak-tuh-nuh-my-KOH-sihs), is a rare infectious bacterial disease of humans generally caused by Actinomyces israelii, A. gerencseriae and Propionibacterium propionicus, though the condition is likely to be polymicrobial.^[1] Characterized by the formation of painful abscesses in the mouth, lungs, or digestive organs, actinomycosis abscesses grow larger as the disease progresses, often over a period of months. In severe cases, the abscesses may penetrate the surrounding bone and muscle to the skin, where they break open and leak large amounts of pus.

Actinomycosis occurs in cattle and other animals as a disease called lumpy jaw. This name refers to the large abscesses that grow on the head and neck of the infected animal.

Causative organism

Actinomycosis is primarily caused by any of several members of the bacterial genus Actinomyces. These bacteria are generally anaerobes.^[2] Actinomyces spp. normally live in the small spaces between the teeth and gums, causing infection only when they can multiply freely in anoxic environments. The three most common sites of infection are decayed teeth, the lungs, and the intestines.

Since Actinomyces bacteria are generally sensitive to penicillin, it is frequently used to treat actinomycosis.

References

1. ^ Bowden GHW (1996). Actinomycosis in: Baron's Medical Microbiology (Baron S et al, eds.), 4th ed., Univ of Texas Medical Branch. (via NCBI Bookshelf) ISBN 0-9631172-1-1. 
2. ^ Ryan KJ; Ray CG (editors) (2004). Sherris Medical Microbiology, 4th ed., McGraw Hill. ISBN 0838585299. 

Bacterial diseases (primarily A00-A79, 001-041,080-109)
G+/Firmicutes	Clostridium (Pseudomembranous colitis, Botulism, Tetanus, Gas gangrene) - Streptococcus A and B (Scarlet fever, Erysipelas) - Staphylococcus (Toxic shock syndrome) - Bacilli (Anthrax, Listeriosis)
G+/Actinobacteria	Mycobacterium: Tuberculosis (Ghon focus, Ghon's complex, Tuberculous meningitis, Pott's disease, Scrofula, Bazin disease, Lupus vulgaris, Miliary tuberculosis) - Leprosy - Lady Windermere syndrome - Buruli ulcer - Actinomycetales: Actinomycosis - Nocardiosis - Diphtheria - Erythrasma
G-/Spirochetal	Syphilis (Bejel) - Yaws - Pinta - Relapsing fever - Noma - Trench mouth - Lyme disease - Rat-bite fever (Sodoku) - Leptospirosis
G-/Chlamydiae	Chlamydia - Lymphogranuloma venereum - Psittacosis - Trachoma
G-/α Proteobacteria	Rickettsioses (Typhus, Scrub typhus, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Boutonneuse fever, Q fever, Trench fever, Rickettsialpox) - Brucellosis - Cat scratch fever - Bartonellosis (Bacillary angiomatosis)
G-/β&γ Proteobacteria	Salmonella (Typhoid fever, Paratyphoid fever, Salmonellosis) - other intestinal (Cholera, Shigellosis) - Zoonotic (Bubonic plague, Tularemia, Glanders, Melioidosis, Pasteurellosis) - Other: Pertussis - Meningococcus (Meningococcemia, Waterhouse-Friderichsen syndrome) - Legionellosis - Brazilian purpuric fever - Chancroid - Donovanosis - Gonorrhea

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