Patients with actinomycosis require prolonged (6- to 12-month) high doses (to facilitate the drug penetration in abscess and in infected tissues) of penicillin G or amoxicillin, but the duration of antimicrobial therapy could probably be shortened to 3 months in patients in whom optimal surgical resection of infected tissues has been performed.
ID consult recommended.
Actinomyces species are non-motile, filamentous, branching, gram-positive and predominantly anaerobic bacteria.
The most common species in human disease are A. israelii and A. gerencseriae.
Actinomycosis is a rare chronic disease caused by Actinomyces species that normally colonize the human mouth and digestive and genital tracts.
Women’s Health: Actinomyces is often found in asymptomatic women on pap testing and doesn’t not require treatment. It can however cause pelvic infections and turbo-ovarian abscesses
Cervicofacial actinomycosis following dental focus of infection.
Pelvic actinomycosis in women can cause turbo-ovarian abscess and PID, but is most often an asymptomatic colonizer found on pap testing
Pulmonary actinomycosis in smokers with poor dental hygiene.
May mimic the malignancy process in various anatomical sites.