• Thoracic actinomycosis commonly presents as a pulmonary infiltrate or mass, which, if left untreated, can spread to involve the pleura, pericardium, and chest wall, ultimately leading to the formation of sinuses that discharge sulfur granules. (medscape.com)
  • Pulmonary actinomycosis may result directly from a cervicofacial focus or from extension through the diaphragm from an intraabdominal lesion. (pediagenosis.com)
  • The clinical and radiographic signs of pulmonary actinomycosis are similar to those of nocardiosis, tuberculosis, and other lung disorders. (pediagenosis.com)
  • The characteristic lesion of actinomycosis is an indurated area of multiple, small, communicating abscesses surrounded by granulation tissue. (merckmanuals.com)
  • In rare cases, these bacteria can cause actinomycosis, a disease characterized by the formation of abscesses in the mouth, lungs, or the gastrointestinal tract. (wikipedia.org)
  • If it is not treated, the infection often spreads to the pleura and through the thoracic wall, causing subsequent empyema, soft tissue abscesses, and multiple draining sinuses. (pediagenosis.com)
  • Occasionally, thoracic actinomycosis results from the introduction of organisms via esophageal perforation, by direct spread from an actinomycotic process of the neck or abdomen, or via hematogenous spread from a distant lesion. (medscape.com)
  • Actinomycosis is a chronic suppurative or granulomatous bacterial infection caused by branching, non-spore-forming, gram-positive bacteria belonging to the genus Actinomyces . (pediagenosis.com)
  • Cervicofacial actinomycosis or "lumpy jaw syndrome" - the chronic, suppurative granulomatous disease caused by Actinomyces spp. (bvsalud.org)
  • Actinomycosis is a subacute-to-chronic bacterial infection caused by filamentous, gram-positive, non-acid-fast, anaerobic-to-microaerophilic bacteria. (medscape.com)
  • Actinomycosis is a chronic localized or hematogenous anaerobic infection caused by Actinomyces israelii and other species of Actinomyces . (merckmanuals.com)
  • Actinomycosis may be considered when a patient has chronic progression of disease across tissue planes that is mass-like at times, sinus tract development that may heal and recur, and refractory infection after a typical course of antibiotics. (wikipedia.org)
  • Furthermore, actinomycosis is generally a polymicrobial infection, with isolates numbering as many as 5-10 bacterial species. (medscape.com)
  • Cervicofacial actinomycosis is the most common type of the infection, comprising 50-70% of reported cases. (medscape.com)
  • Actinomycosis is a cosmopolitan, sporadically occurring endogenous infection. (pediagenosis.com)
  • Cervicofacial infection usually follows tooth extraction or other trauma to the oral mucosa and is characterized by a firm indurated mass in the region of the jaw ("lumpy jaw") that often suppurates and gives rise to multiple cutaneous fistulas. (pediagenosis.com)
  • Diagnosis of actinomycosis is confirmed by culture and occasionally by histopathologic evidence of Actinomyces infection. (pediagenosis.com)
  • The aim of this narrative review is to succinctly summarize the current advances regarding the microbiological, clinical, diagnostic and therapeutic aspects of cervicofacial actinomycosis, in addition to the roles of Actinomyces species and ALOs as members of the oral microbiota and in dental biofilm, in other dental infections (caries, root canal infection, periapical infection, periodontitis) and osteonecrosis of the jaw, in the context of recent taxonomic changes affecting the genus. (bvsalud.org)
  • Empyema due to actinomycosis is relatively rare and can be difficult to diagnose as the presenting symptoms may be indolent and the micro-organism may be difficult to culture. (bvsalud.org)
  • In patients with more severe cervicofacial actinomycosis that requires surgery, intravenous penicillin G for 4 to 6 weeks followed by oral penicillin V for 6 to 12 months is recommended. (pediagenosis.com)
  • However, the significance of these coexisting bacteria in the pathogenesis of actinomycosis is unclear, and these pathogens do not need to be specifically treated with antibiotics. (pediagenosis.com)
  • Actinomyces israelii is the usual cause of actinomycosis, although several other species can occasionally cause human disease. (pediagenosis.com)
  • Hematogenous dissemination to distant organs may occur in any stage of actinomycosis, whereas lymphatic dissemination is unusual. (medscape.com)
  • In the thoracic form, lung involvement resembles tuberculosis (TB). (merckmanuals.com)
  • Treatment for actinomycosis consists of antibiotics such as penicillin or amoxicillin for 5 to 12 months, as well as surgery if the disease is extensive. (wikipedia.org)
  • Management of patients with actinomycosis often requires prolonged courses of antibiotics and surgical intervention in complicated cases. (pediagenosis.com)
  • Cervicofacial actinomycosis is characterized in the initial stages by soft-tissue swelling of the perimandibular area. (medscape.com)
  • Actinomycosis is most frequently caused by A. israelii, which may also cause endocarditis, though the resulting symptoms may be similar to those resulting from infections by other bacterial species. (wikipedia.org)
  • A hallmark of actinomycosis is the tendency to spread through anatomic barriers, including fascial planes, and the development of multiple sinus tracts. (pediagenosis.com)
  • There are several types of pediatric ACM, such as orocervicofacial (55%) and other less common forms: abdominopelvic and thoracic. (bvsalud.org)
  • Another form of actinomycosis is thoracic disease, which is often misdiagnosed as a neoplasm, as it forms a mass that extends to the chest wall. (wikipedia.org)
  • Specifically, they may be responsible for the early manifestations of actinomycosis and for treatment failures. (medscape.com)
  • citation needed] The genus is typically the cause of oral-cervicofacial disease. (wikipedia.org)
  • Actinomycosis has been described as a rare disease, however, reliable epidemiological data are lacking. (bvsalud.org)