Members of the genus Actinomyces are predominant primary colonizers of the oral cavity and play an important role in initiating plaque development. These bacteria have evolved unique mechanisms that favor colonization and persistence in this micro-environment. The expression of cell-surface fimbriae is correlated with the ability of these bacteria to adhere to specific receptors on the tooth an...

OBJECTIVES The poor sensitivity of phenotypic identification techniques has hampered the taxonomic differentiation of Actinomyces. Hence we developed a sensitive and specific, PCR-based oligonucleotide-DNA hybridization technique to detect Actinomyces spp. and, used this method to detect these organisms in samples directly obtained from infected root canals. METHODS A total of 32 samples from...

BACKGROUND Chronic granulomatous disease (CGD) is a rare inherited disease of the phagocyte NADPH oxidase system that causes defective production of toxic oxygen metabolites, impaired bacterial and fungal killing, and recurrent life-threatening infections, mostly by catalase-producing organisms. We report for the first time, to our knowledge, chronic infections with Actinomyces species in 10 pa...

discharge, multiple nodules, and deformity of his right hand (Figure 1). His symptoms had begun with pain and swelling without trauma 16 years ago. He had been diagnosed with chronic actinomyces osteomyelitis and underwent medical therapy and surgical debridement in four different incidents. He had been on antibiotics irregularly for 12 years. Deformity was evident, there was no active wrist mo...

this paper presents a case-report of cutaneous actinomycosis due to actinomyces viscosus in a 22 year old man, hospital staff from tehran with multiple fistulous tracts in his right hand and a history of skin injury due to thorn of plant. diagnosis was based on the observation of gram positive coccoid, diphtheroid and long branching filaments in direct examination of pus from fistulous tracts a...