Members of the Actinomyces genus are non-spore-forming, anaerobic, and aerotolerant Gram-positive bacteria that are abundantly found in the oropharynx. They are the causative agents of actinomycosis, a slowly progressing (indolent) infection with non-specific symptoms in its initial phase, and a clinical course of extensive tissue destruction if left untreated. Actinomycoses are considered to be rare; however, reliable epidemiological data on their prevalence is lacking. Herein, we describe two representative and contrasting cases of cervicofacial actinomycosis, where the affected patients had distinctively different backgrounds and medical histories. Identification of the relevant isolates was carried out using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry; antimicrobial susceptibility was performed using E-tests. Cervicofacial actinomycoses are the most frequent form of the disease; isolation and identification of these microorganisms from relevant clinical samples (with or without histological examination) is the gold standard for diagnosis. The therapy of these infections includes surgical debridement and antibiotic therapy, mainly with a penicillin-derivative or clindamycin.

Humán infekciókban igazolt patogén szerepben leírt Actinomyces fajok A. bovis A. graevenitzii A. nasicola A. radingae A. cardiffiensis A. hominis A. neuii A. timonensis A. dentalis A. hongkongiensis A. odontolyticus A. turicensis A. europaeus A. israelii A. oris A. urogenitalis A. funkei A. massiliensis A. oricola A. viscous A. georgiae A. meyeri A. pyogenes számos, még nem definiált geno-species A. gerencseriae A. naeslundii A. radicidentis A félkövér betűvel jelzett fajok okozzák a humán infekciók több mint 90%-át. Az A. odontolyticus és az A. meyeri a cervicofaciális régióban a leggyakoribb, míg az A. gerencseriae és az A. israelii minden más anatómiai régióban jelentős. Az actinomycosisok diagnosztikai algoritmusának összefoglalása FOGORVOSI SZEMLE 113. évf. 3. sz. 2020. n 104 A 2020. évben végzett fogorvostan-hallgatók doktorrá avatása cytology of cervicofacial actinomycosis.