Actinomycetes
From IDWiki
Background
- Filamentous, mostly branching Gram-positive bacilli
- The order Actinomycetales includes the aerobic actinomycetes
- Actinomycetales also include Corynebacterium (non-branching, non-acid-fast), Mycobacterium (non-branching, fully acid-fast), and Tropheryma whipplei
- Environmental organisms found in soil
- More commonly seen in fungal cultures
- Typically not acid-fast, though some are partially acid-fast
Organisms
| Genus | Infections |
|---|---|
| Partially acid-fast (cell wall contains mycolic acid) | |
| Nocardia | mycetoma, lymphocutaneous infections, skin abscesses; in immunocompromised hosts, invasive pulmonary and disseminated infections |
| Rhodococcus | pulmonary infections, bacteremia, skin and wound infections, UTIs, endophthalmitis, peritonitis, CLABSI, abscess in prostate, spleen, thyroid, kidney, or brain, osteomyelitis; associated with horses |
| Gordonia | skin infections, chronic pulmonary disease, CLABSI, wound infections, bacteremia |
| Tsukamurella | peritonitis, CLABSI, skin infection |
| Not partially acid-fast (cell wall does not contain mycolic acid) | |
| Streptomyces | commonly contaminant; inoculation skin infection including mycetoma |
| Actinomadura | inoculation skin infection including mycetoma |
| Dermatophilus | inoculation skin infection from insects or thorns |
| Nodardiopsis | |
| Oerskovia | |
