Talk:Actinomyces

--Dnissley 01:20, 17 June 2006 (UTC): Spelling Fix (oppotunistic -> opportunistic)

added that Actionmyces can cause primary CNS disease in dogs (from [1])

Smell of soil from Actinomyces?

Following the link “The Sweet Smell of Rain” one reads that the typical smell of wet soil is caused by ‘actinomycetes’. This term is not synonymous with the name of the genus Actinomyces! If you search for the lemma “Actinomycetes” you will be redirected to “Actinomycetales”. This order of bacteria contains some families and a lot of genera including the genus Streptomyces with numerous species. Regarding the physiology and typical habitats of the members of the genus Actinomyces, it seems to me very unlikely that Actinomyces species are the producers of that smell. It seems much more likely that members of the genus Streptomyces cause this typical smell. -- Brudersohn (talk) 21:56, 4 March 2010 (UTC), -- Brudersohn (talk) 09:24, 5 March 2010 (UTC) And look for the lemma Geosmin! -- Brudersohn (talk) 22:19, 4 March 2010 (UTC)

For nobody gave an explanation why this statement was given, I deleted it. -- Brudersohn (talk) 22:25, 7 March 2010 (UTC)

Actinomyces in coffee plantations?

To my opinion the link to “The Role of Actinomycetes in Coffee Plantation Ecology” doesn't fit to this article Actinomyces. From the text of this link it is clear that it deals with organisms of the order Actinomycetales, mainly of the genus Streptomyces, and that the genus Actinomyces plays no or only a minor role if at all. This also shows that sometimes there is a confusion with the terms Actinomycetes as a not exactly defined colloquial term and Actinomyces as a term for a taxinomical genus. -- Brudersohn (talk) 10:00, 5 March 2010 (UTC)

For nobody gave an explanation why this link was inserted, I deleted it. -- Brudersohn (talk) 22:25, 7 March 2010 (UTC)

Actinomyces may form endospores?

really? all? some? or rather conidia?

Info from Actinomyces naeslundii

A whole bunch of info was added to Actinomyces naeslundii which pertains to the whole genus. I've removed it from the species article and placed it here with the hope that someone can merge it into this article.

A. israelii, A. naeslundii, A. odontolyticus, A. viscosus, and A. meyeri are the most frequent microorganisms associated with human actinomycosis. A. gerencseriae also may cause disease in humans. Three coryneform bacteria now have been added to the Actinomyces genus and are thought to be potential causes for disease: A. neuii, A. radingae, and A. turicensis. A. radicidentis, a recently described species, has been isolated with polymerase chain reaction from patients with endodontic infections. Actinomyces species grow well in enriched media with brain-heart infusion and may be aided in growth by an atmosphere of 6-10% ambient carbon dioxide. They grow best at 37 °C. Colonies can appear at three to seven days, but, to ensure that no growth is missed, cultures should be observed for up to 21 days.

Actinomyces species are very closely related to Nocardia species, and at one time, both were considered to be fungal organisms. Propionibacterium propionicus and related species of bacteria also can cause actinomycosis-like disease. Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, Eikenella corrodens, species of Fusobacterium, Bacteroides, Capnocytophaga, Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, and Enterococcus are other bacteria concomitantly isolated with Actinomyces in clinical specimens of infected human tissues.

Actinomyces species that cause human disease do not exist freely in nature, but are normal flora of the oropharynx, gastrointestinal (GI) tract, and female genital tract. This is not an exogenous infection; therefore, no person-to-person spread of the pathogen occurs.

In general, Actinomyces species, being members of the normal flora, are agents of low pathogenicity and require disruption of the mucosal barrier to cause disease. Oral and cervicofacial diseases commonly are associated with dental procedures, trauma, oral surgery, or dental sepsis. Pulmonary infections usually arise after aspiration of oropharyngeal or GI secretions. GI infection frequently follows loss of mucosal integrity, such as with surgery, appendicitis, diverticulitis, trauma, or foreign bodies. Numerous reports have linked the use of intrauterine contraceptive devices to the development of actinomycosis of the female genital tract. The presence of a foreign body in this setting appears to trigger infection.

Other bacterial species that often are copathogens to Actinomyces species may aid spread of infection by inhibiting host defenses and reducing local oxygen tension. Once the organism is established locally, it spreads to surrounding tissues in a progressive manner, leading to a chronic, indurated, suppurative infection often with draining sinuses and fibrosis. In tissues, Actinomyces species grow in microscopic or macroscopic clusters of tangled filaments surrounded by neutrophils. When visible, these clusters are pale yellow and exude through sinus tracts; they are called sulfur granules. This is not an exclusive finding of actinomycosis, and its absence does not rule out the diagnosis. Other conditions, such as eumycetoma and nocardiosis, have been linked to the production of sulfur granules.

Hope someone can help. Thanks!Ajpolino (talk) 05:44, 22 May 2016 (UTC)