Actinomycosis is an infection caused by a bacterium of the genus Actinomyces , usually Actinomyces bovis ; the disease it causes has several common names. When it is a moveable tumour or lump on the jaw area, it is referred to as lump jaw; when it spreads into the hard bone of the jaw, it is referred to as big jaw; and when it affects the tongue, it is referred to as wooden tongue. [1]
Actinomycosis is a common condition in weaned calves, young bulls, and heifers. The disease has a chronic course, and the general body condition can remain quite good. Swelling in the area of the maxilla and mandible occurs. Fistulization occurs after some days, leaving a thick, yellowish, nonodorous pus, with mineralised, 2-to-5 mm (0.079-to-0.197 in) grains therein. Later, a granuloma forms in the place of fistulization. The bony lesions (osteomyelitis, periostitis) cause permanent deformation.
Actinomyces can rarely cause lesions in the intestinal tract, lungs, and liver. The diagnosis of the actinomycotic lesions in internal organs is usually diagnosed post mortem. [1]
Actinomycosis can be contracted via simple injuries and wounds. [1] The bacteria are common soil and commensal organisms in humans and animals.
To control the spread of the disease, affected animals should be isolated or sent for slaughter. The herd should be rotated to a new grazing area to reduce the chances of further infection. [2]
The affected areas can be treated with iodine solutions. A common method to achieve this is to give the cattle sodium iodide orally on a regular treatment schedule. Antibiotics such as tetracyclines are also used, alone or with iodine; simultaneous use is considered more aggressive. Killing the bacteria that cause the infection is the ultimate purpose of these treatment methods. However, treatment may not be effective unless it is started early. [3] [4] Notably, surgery is not typically considered for treatment of production cattle. [5]
Prevention of infection is not possible, as Actinomyces is a widespread and common soil organism; complete elimination from soil is not possible. [1]
Differential diagnoses include abscesses caused by grass seeds, woody tongue, bottle jaw, cancerous growths, and irritation caused by lodged objects. [3]
Although actinomycosis is more common in cattle, it can also be found in horses, sheep, swine, dogs, deer, and humans. [1] In humans, the infection is usually caused by A. israelii. [5]
Campylobacteriosis is an infection by the Campylobacter bacterium, most commonly C. jejuni. It is among the most common bacterial infections of humans, often a foodborne illness. It produces an inflammatory, sometimes bloody, diarrhea or dysentery syndrome, mostly including cramps, fever and pain.
Paratuberculosis is a contagious, chronic and sometimes fatal infection that primarily affects the small intestine of ruminants. It is caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis. Infections normally affect ruminants, but have also been seen in a variety of nonruminant species, including rabbits, foxes, and birds. Horses, dogs, and nonhuman primates have been infected experimentally. Paratuberculosis is found worldwide, with some states in Australia being the only areas proven to be free of the disease. At least in Canada, the signs of BJD usually start when cattle are four to seven years of age, and then usually only are diagnosed in one animal at a time. Cattle "with signs of Johne’s disease shed billions of bacteria through their manure and serve as a major source of infection for future calves."
Nocardiosis is an infectious disease affecting either the lungs or the whole body. It is due to infection by a bacterium of the genus Nocardia, most commonly Nocardia asteroides or Nocardia brasiliensis.
Actinomyces is a genus of the Actinomycetia class of bacteria. They all are Gram-positive. Actinomyces species are facultatively anaerobic, and they grow best under anaerobic conditions. Actinomyces species may form endospores, and while individual bacteria are rod-shaped, Actinomyces colonies form fungus-like branched networks of hyphae. The aspect of these colonies initially led to the incorrect assumption that the organism was a fungus and to the name Actinomyces, "ray fungus".
Actinomycosis is a rare infectious bacterial disease caused by Actinomyces species. The name refers to ray-like appearance of the organisms in the granules. About 70% of infections are due to either Actinomyces israelii or A. gerencseriae. Infection can also be caused by Streptomyces somaliensis and Propionibacterium propionicus. The condition is likely to be a polymicrobial anaerobic infection.
Dermatophytosis, also known as ringworm, is a fungal infection of the skin. Typically it results in a red, itchy, scaly, circular rash. Hair loss may occur in the area affected. Symptoms begin four to fourteen days after exposure. Multiple areas can be affected at a given time.
Lung abscess is a type of liquefactive necrosis of the lung tissue and formation of cavities containing necrotic debris or fluid caused by microbial infection.
Gas gangrene is a bacterial infection that produces tissue gas in gangrene. This deadly form of gangrene usually is caused by Clostridium perfringens bacteria. About 1,000 cases of gas gangrene are reported yearly in the United States.
Blackleg, black quarter, quarter evil, or quarter ill is an infectious bacterial disease most commonly caused by Clostridium chauvoei, a Gram-positive bacterial species. It is seen in livestock all over the world, usually affecting cattle, sheep, and goats. It has been seen occasionally in farmed bison and deer. The acute nature of the disease makes successful treatment difficult, and the efficacy of the commonly used vaccine is disputed.
Phycomycosis is an uncommon condition of the gastrointestinal tract and skin most commonly found in dogs and horses. The condition is caused by a variety of molds and fungi, and individual forms include pythiosis, zygomycosis, and lagenidiosis. Pythiosis is the most common type and is caused by Pythium, a type of water mould. Zygomycosis can also be caused by two types of zygomycetes, Entomophthorales and Mucorales. The latter type of zygomycosis is also referred to as mucormycosis. Lagenidiosis is caused by a Lagenidium species, which like Pythium is a water mould. Since both pythiosis and lagenidiosis are caused by organisms from the class Oomycetes, they are sometimes collectively referred to as oomycosis.
Moraxella is a genus of gram-negative bacteria in the family Moraxellaceae. It is named after the Swiss ophthalmologist Victor Morax. The organisms are short rods, coccobacilli, or as in the case of Moraxella catarrhalis, diplococci in morphology, with asaccharolytic, oxidase-positive, and catalase-positive properties. M. catarrhalis is the clinically most important species under this genus.
Foot rot, or infectious pododermatitis, is a hoof infection commonly found in sheep, goats, and cattle. As the name suggests, it rots away the foot of the animal, more specifically the area between the two toes of the affected animal. It is extremely painful and contagious. It can be treated with a series of medications, but if not treated, the whole herd can become infected. The cause of the infection in cattle is two species of anaerobic bacteria, Fusobacterium necrophorum and Bacteroides melaninogenicus. Both bacteria are common to the environment in which cattle live, and Fusobacterium is present in the rumen and fecal matter of the cattle. In sheep, F. necrophorum first invades the interdigital skin following damage to the skin, and causes interdigital lesions and slight inflammation. The second stage of the disease is marked by the invasion of the foot by the foot rot bacterium Dichelobacter nodosus, a Gram-negative anaerobe. Usually, an injury to the skin between the hooves allows the bacteria to infect the animal. Another cause of foot rot may be high temperatures or humidity, causing the skin between the hooves to crack and let the bacteria infect the foot. This is one of the reasons foot rot is such a major problem in the summer. Foot rot is easily identifiable by its appearance and foul odor. Treatment is usually with an antibiotic medication, and preventing injury to the feet is the best way to prevent foot rot.
Botryomycosis; is a rare chronic granulomatous bacterial infection that affects the skin, and sometimes the viscera.
Actinobacillosis is a zoonotic disease caused by Actinobacillus.
Actinomyces israelii is a species of Gram-positive, rod-shaped bacteria within the genus Actinomyces. Known to live commensally on and within humans, A. israelii is an opportunistic pathogen and a cause of actinomycosis. Many physiologically diverse strains of the species are known to exist, though not all are strict anaerobes. It was named after the German surgeon James Adolf Israel (1848–1926), who studied the organism for the first time in 1878.
Cutaneous actinomycosis is a chronic disease that affects the deep subcutaneous tissue of the skin. Caused by an anaerobic, Gram-positive, filamentous type of bacteria in the genus Actinomyces, invasion of the soft tissue leads to the formation of abnormal channels leading to the skin surface that discharge pale yellow sulfur granules.
Caseous lymphadenitis (CLA) is an infectious disease caused by the bacterium Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis, that affects the lymphatic system, resulting in abscesses in the lymph nodes and internal organs. It is found mostly in goats and sheep and at the moment it has no cure.
Anaerobic infections are caused by anaerobic bacteria. Obligately anaerobic bacteria do not grow on solid media in room air ; facultatively anaerobic bacteria can grow in the presence or absence of air. Microaerophilic bacteria do not grow at all aerobically or grow poorly, but grow better under 10% carbon dioxide or anaerobically. Anaerobic bacteria can be divided into strict anaerobes that can not grow in the presence of more than 0.5% oxygen and moderate anaerobic bacteria that are able of growing between 2 and 8% oxygen. Anaerobic bacteria usually do not possess catalase, but some can generate superoxide dismutase which protects them from oxygen.
Actinomyces bovis is a branching, Gram-positive, rod-shaped bacterium of the genus Actinomyces. It is the causative agent of lumpy jaw (actinomycosis) in cattle, and occasionally causes infections in humans. A. bovis normally populates the gastrointestinal tract of healthy ruminants, but is opportunistic in nature and will move into tissues through ulcerations or abrasions of the mucosa to cause disease. Disease occurs when there is physical damage to the tissue of the mouth, allowing the bacteria to colonize the deep tissue and bone, typically affecting the mandible and maxilla. Actinomycosis is pathognomonic for abscesses containing "sulfur" granules, and appears as basophilic colonies with club-shaped reaction products on a histological preparation. Lumpy jaw is commonly treated with broad-spectrum antibiotics with varying success, and can be a major economic loss for producers in countries where it is endemic. Because this organism is zoonotic, it is a human health concern and can cause granulomas, abscesses, skin lesions, and bronchopneumonia.
Actinomyces viscosus is a human and animal pathogen/pathobiont which colonises the mouths of 70% of adult humans. A. viscosus has a low level of virulence and is often mistaken with other actinomycetes.
