Difference between revisions of "Actinomycetes"
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| + | {{toplink | ||
| + | |backcolour = | ||
| + | |linkpage =Bacteria | ||
| + | |linktext =BACTERIA | ||
| + | |pagetype=Bugs | ||
| + | }} | ||
| + | <br> | ||
| + | |||
| + | ===Overview=== | ||
| + | |||
| + | *Gram positive bacteria | ||
| + | *Grow slowly on media and produce branching filaments | ||
| + | *Opportunistic infections causing inflammatory responses and granulomatous reactions | ||
| + | *Animal pathogens include ''Actinomyces, Arcanobacterium, Actinobaculum, Nocardia'' and ''Dermatophilus'' | ||
| + | |||
| + | ===''Arcanobacterium, Actinomyces'' and ''Actinobaculum'' species=== | ||
| + | |||
| + | *Non-motile, non-spore-forming bacteria | ||
| + | *Anaerobic or facultative anaerobes | ||
| + | *Grow on enriched media; non-acid fast | ||
| + | *Colonise mucous membranes | ||
| + | *Modified Ziehl-Neelson negative | ||
| + | |||
| + | |||
| + | ===''Arcanobacterium pyogenes''=== | ||
| + | |||
| + | *Characteristics: | ||
| + | **Formerly known as ''Actinomyces pyogenes'' and ''Corynebacterium pyogenes'' | ||
| + | **Small facultatively anaerobic rod | ||
| + | **Grows slowly on blood agar to produce small, white colonies surrounded by a zone of beta-haemolysis after 48 hours | ||
| + | **Produces hazy haemolysis after 24 hours; pin-point colonies after 48 hours | ||
| + | **Coryneform morphology, like Chinese characters; may be curved with slightly swollen ends | ||
| + | **Found in nasopharyngeal mucosa and genital tract of cattle, sheep, pigs | ||
| + | *Pathogenicity'' | ||
| + | **Opportunistic infections following injury or viral/mycoplasma infection in ruminants and pigs | ||
| + | **Extracellular toxins including haemolysin, proteases, DNase and neurominidase | ||
| + | **Haemolytic toxin, pyolysin, member of the thiol-activated cytolysins (pore-forming toxins); possibly cytotoxic to phagocytic cells; dermonecrotising activity | ||
| + | *Clinical infections: | ||
| + | **Suppurative infections | ||
| + | **Abscesses especially in liver | ||
| + | **Lymphadenitis, [[Bones Inflammatory - Pathology#Osteomyelitis|osteomyelitis]], peritonitis and neural abscessation | ||
| + | **Pyometra | ||
| + | **Endometritis | ||
| + | **Summer mastitis | ||
| + | **Ovine foot disease | ||
| + | **[[Joints Inflammatory - Pathology#In Sheep|Arthritis]] of sheep post-dipping; [[Joints Inflammatory - Pathology#In Pigs|arthritis in pigs]] and [[Joints Inflammatory - Pathology#In Cattle|arthritis in cattle]] | ||
| + | **Umbilical infections | ||
| + | **[[Respiratory Bacterial Infections - Pathology#Acute exudative pneumonia|Acute exudative pneumonia]] and contributes to [[Respiratory Bacterial Infections - Pathology#Enzootic pneumonia of calves|Enzootic pneumonia of calves]] | ||
| + | **May cause [[Muscles Inflammatory - Pathology#Abscesses|myositis]] | ||
| + | **Unclassified ''Actinomyces'' species isolated from closed cases of [[Bursae and Tendons Inflammatory - Pathology#Poll Evil and Fistulous Withers|Poll Evil and Fistulous Withers]] | ||
| + | *Treatment: | ||
| + | **Penicillin or broad spectrum antibiotics | ||
| + | |||
| + | ===''Actinomyces''=== | ||
| + | |||
| + | *Usually long filamentous branching Gram positive rods | ||
| + | *Anaerobic or facultativlyy anaerobic and capnophilic | ||
| + | *Live in nasopharyngeal and oral mucosa | ||
| + | *Cause pyogranulomatous lesions | ||
| + | **''Actinomyces bovis'' | ||
| + | ***Found naturally in oral cavity of cattle | ||
| + | ***Prefers anaerobic conditions but not strict anaerobe | ||
| + | ***Entry of organism into tissues following trauma to the mucosa from rough feed or tooth eruption | ||
| + | ***Causes [[General Pathology - Chronic Inflammation#Granulomatous Inflammation|granulomatous inflammation]] of soft tissues and bone, causing [[Teeth - Pathology#Mandibular Osteomyelitis|lumpy jaw]] | ||
| + | ***Usually invades mandible to cause [[Bones Inflammatory - Pathology#Osteomyelitis|osteomyelitis]] and may extend to surrounding [[Muscles Inflammatory - Pathology#Actinomycosis bovis|muscles]] | ||
| + | ***The lesions begins as a painless swelling of the affected bone | ||
| + | ***Swelling becomes more painful and enlarges over a number of weeks, gaining fistulous tracts which discharge pus | ||
| + | ***Organisms found in yellow sulphur granules | ||
| + | ***Club colony formation | ||
| + | ***Colonies adhere to agar media and are non-haemoltic | ||
| + | ***Surgical treatment possible when lesions are small | ||
| + | ***Prolonged parenteral penicillin treatment may be beneficial early in the disease | ||
| + | **''Actinomyces viscosus'' | ||
| + | ***Commensal of oral cavity of dogs and humans | ||
| + | ***Canine actinomycosis | ||
| + | ***Causes localised subcutaneous pyogranulomatous lesions and fibrovascular proliferation of peritoneal ([[Peritoneal Cavity Inflammatory - Pathology#In dogs|peritonitis]]) and pleural surfaces in dogs | ||
| + | ***Leads to [[Pleural Cavity & Membranes Inflammatory - Pathology#Pyothorax (Thoracic empyema)|pyothorax]] | ||
| + | ***Respiratory distress | ||
| + | ***[[Bacterial skin infections - Pathology#Bacterial granulomatous dermatitis|Cutaneous pustules]] in horses | ||
| + | ***Abortion in cattle | ||
| + | ***Rods contained in soft grey granules which release the organism when squashed | ||
| + | ***Two types of colonies: large and smooth colonies with V, Y and T configurations or small and rough colonies with short branching filaments | ||
| + | ***Grow in 10% carbon dioxide | ||
| + | ***Usually responds to penicillin | ||
| + | **''Actinomyces hordeovulneris'' | ||
| + | ***Organism found in seed heads of certain grasses | ||
| + | ***Colonies adhere to agar and are non-haemolytic | ||
| + | ***Filamentous, branching organisms | ||
| + | ***Cause [[Bacterial skin infections - Pathology#Bacterial granulomatous dermatitis|cutaneous]] and visceral abscessation, pleuritis, peritonitis and arthritis in dogs | ||
| + | |||
| + | |||
| + | ===''Actinobaculum suis''=== | ||
| + | *Found in preputial mucosa of healthy boars | ||
| + | *Anaerobic | ||
| + | *Coryneform morphology | ||
| + | *Produces urease | ||
| + | *3mm diameter colonies with shiny raised centre and dull edge | ||
| + | *Disease transmitted at coitus | ||
| + | *Sows develop disease within 3-4 weeks of mating | ||
| + | *Produces lesions in urinary tract of sows | ||
| + | *Cystitis and pyelonephritis in sows | ||
| + | *Anoreixa, arching of back, dysuria and haematuria | ||
| + | *May be fatal | ||
| + | |||
| + | ===''Nocardia''=== | ||
| + | |||
| + | *Facultative intracellular bacterium | ||
| + | *Aerobic short branching rods | ||
| + | *Non-motile | ||
| + | *Spores from aerial filaments when cultured | ||
| + | *Grow on Sabouraud dextrose agar | ||
| + | *Cell wall contains mycolic acids (hence slightly acid fast) | ||
| + | *''Nocardia asteroides'' | ||
| + | **Found in soil and decaying vegetation - saprophytic | ||
| + | **Opportunistic infection of immunocompromised animals | ||
| + | **Infection via inhalation, wounds or teat canal; also ingestion | ||
| + | **Causes granulomatous lesions in animals | ||
| + | **Canine nocardiosis: | ||
| + | ***Thoracic, [[Bacterial skin infections - Pathology#bacterial granulomatous dermatitis|cutaneous]] and disseminated forms | ||
| + | ***Cutaneous pyogranulomas: ulcers or granulomatous swellings with discharging fistulae | ||
| + | ***[[Peritoneal Cavity Inflammatory - Pathology#In dogs|peritonitis]] | ||
| + | ***[[Respiratory Bacterial Infections - Pathology#Nocardiosis|pleuritis]] and pyothorax with fever, anorexia and respiratory distress | ||
| + | ***Disseminated lesions | ||
| + | ***Treat with appropriate systemic antibiotics for 6 weeks | ||
| + | **Cattle: chronic mastitis; abortion | ||
| + | **Pigs: abortion | ||
| + | **Sheep, goats, horses: wound infections; mastitis; pneumonia | ||
| + | **Survives and multiplies in macrophages | ||
| + | **Superoxide dismutase and catalase as well as a thick peptidoglycan wall prevent activity of phagocytes | ||
| + | **Chronic, progressive disease | ||
| + | **Positive modified Ziehl-Neelson | ||
| + | **Culture on blood agar and incubate under aerobic conditions at 37 degrees centigrade for 10 days | ||
| + | **White, powdery colonies, adherent to the agar appear after 5 days | ||
| + | **Subculture onto Sabouraud dextrose agar yields wrinkled, orange colonies | ||
| + | **Lesions difficult to treat due to resistance of organisms to many antimicrobials (e.g. penicillins) | ||
| + | **Cell-mediated immunity required | ||
| + | *''Nocardia farcinica'' causes bovine farcy, a chronic infection of superficial lymphatic vessels and lymph nodes | ||
| + | |||
| + | ===''Dermatophilus congolensis''=== | ||
| + | |||
| + | *Filamentous, branching actinomycete | ||
| + | *Aerobic | ||
| + | *Produces motile zoospores | ||
| + | *No growth on Sabouraud dextrose agar | ||
| + | *Dermatophilosis most prevalent in tropical and subtropical regions | ||
| + | *Organisms found in scabs and in foci in skin of carrier animals | ||
| + | *Dormant zoospores become activated when moisture and temperature levels favourable | ||
| + | *Zoospores may survive 3 years in scabs | ||
| + | *'''Pathogenicity''': | ||
| + | **Does not usually invade healthy skin | ||
| + | **Entrance after trauma or persistent wetting | ||
| + | **Activated zoospores produce germ tubes which develop into filaments which invade the epidermis | ||
| + | **Invasion causes an accute inflammatory response with many neutrophils | ||
| + | **Microabscesses are formed in the skin | ||
| + | **Raised crusts develop in the affected regions | ||
| + | *[[Bacterial skin infections - Pathology#Dermatophilosis|'''Pathology''']] | ||
| + | *'''Diagnosis''': | ||
| + | **Giemsa-stained smears from scabs reveal branching filaments containing zoospores | ||
| + | **Immunofluorescence | ||
| + | **Scab material can be cultured on blood agar at 37 degrees centigrade, 2.5-10% carbon dioxide for 5 days | ||
| + | **Zoospores can be cultured | ||
| + | **After incubation, colonies are yellow and haemolytic (after 48 hours); they later become rough and yellow, and gain a mucoid appearance | ||
| + | **No growth on Sabouraud dectrose agar | ||
| + | *'''Clinical infections''': | ||
| + | **Infection usually confined to epidermis | ||
| + | **Dermatophilosis | ||
| + | **Disease most prevalent in young animals | ||
| + | **Damage to the skin predisposes to infection; blood-sucking insects also thought to be involved in transmission | ||
| + | **Lesions after heavy rainfall predominantly affect dorsum of farm animals | ||
| + | **Papules, serous, exudative matting of hair, raised crusty scabs | ||
| + | **Scab formation more prominent in sheep and cattle than in horses | ||
| + | **Lesions may resolve within weeks if dry weather, or may progress | ||
| + | *'''Treatment''': | ||
| + | **Parenteral antibiotics e.g oxytetracycline, pr penicillin-streptomycin combinations | ||
| + | |||
| + | |||
| + | *''Micropolyspora faeni and Thermactinomyces vulgaris'' in [[Bronchi and Bronchioles Inflammatory - Pathology#Extrinsic Allergic Bronchio-alveolitis|Bovine Farmers Lung]] | ||
| + | *''Thermactinomyces vulgaris'' may cause [[Bronchi and Bronchioles Inflammatory - Pathology#Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)|COPD]] | ||
Revision as of 11:09, 29 December 2008
| This article has been peer reviewed but is awaiting expert review. If you would like to help with this, please see more information about expert reviewing. |
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Overview
- Gram positive bacteria
- Grow slowly on media and produce branching filaments
- Opportunistic infections causing inflammatory responses and granulomatous reactions
- Animal pathogens include Actinomyces, Arcanobacterium, Actinobaculum, Nocardia and Dermatophilus
Arcanobacterium, Actinomyces and Actinobaculum species
- Non-motile, non-spore-forming bacteria
- Anaerobic or facultative anaerobes
- Grow on enriched media; non-acid fast
- Colonise mucous membranes
- Modified Ziehl-Neelson negative
Arcanobacterium pyogenes
- Characteristics:
- Formerly known as Actinomyces pyogenes and Corynebacterium pyogenes
- Small facultatively anaerobic rod
- Grows slowly on blood agar to produce small, white colonies surrounded by a zone of beta-haemolysis after 48 hours
- Produces hazy haemolysis after 24 hours; pin-point colonies after 48 hours
- Coryneform morphology, like Chinese characters; may be curved with slightly swollen ends
- Found in nasopharyngeal mucosa and genital tract of cattle, sheep, pigs
- Pathogenicity
- Opportunistic infections following injury or viral/mycoplasma infection in ruminants and pigs
- Extracellular toxins including haemolysin, proteases, DNase and neurominidase
- Haemolytic toxin, pyolysin, member of the thiol-activated cytolysins (pore-forming toxins); possibly cytotoxic to phagocytic cells; dermonecrotising activity
- Clinical infections:
- Suppurative infections
- Abscesses especially in liver
- Lymphadenitis, osteomyelitis, peritonitis and neural abscessation
- Pyometra
- Endometritis
- Summer mastitis
- Ovine foot disease
- Arthritis of sheep post-dipping; arthritis in pigs and arthritis in cattle
- Umbilical infections
- Acute exudative pneumonia and contributes to Enzootic pneumonia of calves
- May cause myositis
- Unclassified Actinomyces species isolated from closed cases of Poll Evil and Fistulous Withers
- Treatment:
- Penicillin or broad spectrum antibiotics
Actinomyces
- Usually long filamentous branching Gram positive rods
- Anaerobic or facultativlyy anaerobic and capnophilic
- Live in nasopharyngeal and oral mucosa
- Cause pyogranulomatous lesions
- Actinomyces bovis
- Found naturally in oral cavity of cattle
- Prefers anaerobic conditions but not strict anaerobe
- Entry of organism into tissues following trauma to the mucosa from rough feed or tooth eruption
- Causes granulomatous inflammation of soft tissues and bone, causing lumpy jaw
- Usually invades mandible to cause osteomyelitis and may extend to surrounding muscles
- The lesions begins as a painless swelling of the affected bone
- Swelling becomes more painful and enlarges over a number of weeks, gaining fistulous tracts which discharge pus
- Organisms found in yellow sulphur granules
- Club colony formation
- Colonies adhere to agar media and are non-haemoltic
- Surgical treatment possible when lesions are small
- Prolonged parenteral penicillin treatment may be beneficial early in the disease
- Actinomyces viscosus
- Commensal of oral cavity of dogs and humans
- Canine actinomycosis
- Causes localised subcutaneous pyogranulomatous lesions and fibrovascular proliferation of peritoneal (peritonitis) and pleural surfaces in dogs
- Leads to pyothorax
- Respiratory distress
- Cutaneous pustules in horses
- Abortion in cattle
- Rods contained in soft grey granules which release the organism when squashed
- Two types of colonies: large and smooth colonies with V, Y and T configurations or small and rough colonies with short branching filaments
- Grow in 10% carbon dioxide
- Usually responds to penicillin
- Actinomyces hordeovulneris
- Organism found in seed heads of certain grasses
- Colonies adhere to agar and are non-haemolytic
- Filamentous, branching organisms
- Cause cutaneous and visceral abscessation, pleuritis, peritonitis and arthritis in dogs
- Actinomyces bovis
Actinobaculum suis
- Found in preputial mucosa of healthy boars
- Anaerobic
- Coryneform morphology
- Produces urease
- 3mm diameter colonies with shiny raised centre and dull edge
- Disease transmitted at coitus
- Sows develop disease within 3-4 weeks of mating
- Produces lesions in urinary tract of sows
- Cystitis and pyelonephritis in sows
- Anoreixa, arching of back, dysuria and haematuria
- May be fatal
Nocardia
- Facultative intracellular bacterium
- Aerobic short branching rods
- Non-motile
- Spores from aerial filaments when cultured
- Grow on Sabouraud dextrose agar
- Cell wall contains mycolic acids (hence slightly acid fast)
- Nocardia asteroides
- Found in soil and decaying vegetation - saprophytic
- Opportunistic infection of immunocompromised animals
- Infection via inhalation, wounds or teat canal; also ingestion
- Causes granulomatous lesions in animals
- Canine nocardiosis:
- Thoracic, cutaneous and disseminated forms
- Cutaneous pyogranulomas: ulcers or granulomatous swellings with discharging fistulae
- peritonitis
- pleuritis and pyothorax with fever, anorexia and respiratory distress
- Disseminated lesions
- Treat with appropriate systemic antibiotics for 6 weeks
- Cattle: chronic mastitis; abortion
- Pigs: abortion
- Sheep, goats, horses: wound infections; mastitis; pneumonia
- Survives and multiplies in macrophages
- Superoxide dismutase and catalase as well as a thick peptidoglycan wall prevent activity of phagocytes
- Chronic, progressive disease
- Positive modified Ziehl-Neelson
- Culture on blood agar and incubate under aerobic conditions at 37 degrees centigrade for 10 days
- White, powdery colonies, adherent to the agar appear after 5 days
- Subculture onto Sabouraud dextrose agar yields wrinkled, orange colonies
- Lesions difficult to treat due to resistance of organisms to many antimicrobials (e.g. penicillins)
- Cell-mediated immunity required
- Nocardia farcinica causes bovine farcy, a chronic infection of superficial lymphatic vessels and lymph nodes
Dermatophilus congolensis
- Filamentous, branching actinomycete
- Aerobic
- Produces motile zoospores
- No growth on Sabouraud dextrose agar
- Dermatophilosis most prevalent in tropical and subtropical regions
- Organisms found in scabs and in foci in skin of carrier animals
- Dormant zoospores become activated when moisture and temperature levels favourable
- Zoospores may survive 3 years in scabs
- Pathogenicity:
- Does not usually invade healthy skin
- Entrance after trauma or persistent wetting
- Activated zoospores produce germ tubes which develop into filaments which invade the epidermis
- Invasion causes an accute inflammatory response with many neutrophils
- Microabscesses are formed in the skin
- Raised crusts develop in the affected regions
- Pathology
- Diagnosis:
- Giemsa-stained smears from scabs reveal branching filaments containing zoospores
- Immunofluorescence
- Scab material can be cultured on blood agar at 37 degrees centigrade, 2.5-10% carbon dioxide for 5 days
- Zoospores can be cultured
- After incubation, colonies are yellow and haemolytic (after 48 hours); they later become rough and yellow, and gain a mucoid appearance
- No growth on Sabouraud dectrose agar
- Clinical infections:
- Infection usually confined to epidermis
- Dermatophilosis
- Disease most prevalent in young animals
- Damage to the skin predisposes to infection; blood-sucking insects also thought to be involved in transmission
- Lesions after heavy rainfall predominantly affect dorsum of farm animals
- Papules, serous, exudative matting of hair, raised crusty scabs
- Scab formation more prominent in sheep and cattle than in horses
- Lesions may resolve within weeks if dry weather, or may progress
- Treatment:
- Parenteral antibiotics e.g oxytetracycline, pr penicillin-streptomycin combinations
- Micropolyspora faeni and Thermactinomyces vulgaris in Bovine Farmers Lung
- Thermactinomyces vulgaris may cause COPD