Actinomycosis overview

Overview
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. 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.

In 1877 pathologist Otto Bollinger described the presence of Actinomyces bovis in cattle, and shortly afterwards, James Israel discovered Actinomyces israelii in humans. In 1890 Eugen Bostroem isolated the causative organism from a culture of grain, grasses, and soil. After Bostroem's discovery there was a general misconception that actinomycosis was a mycosis that affected individuals who chewed grass or straw.