title: Human cervicofacial actinomycoses: microbiological data for 1997 cases.
abstract: Actinomycoses are sporadically occurring endogenous polymicrobial inflammatory processes, in which fermentative actinomycetes of the genera Actinomyces, Propionibacterium, or Bifidobacterium act as the principal pathogens. Difficulties in diagnosing the disease in a timely and reliable fashion have led clinicians and microbiologists to grossly underestimate its medical importance. Therefore, we evaluated microbiological and selected clinical data derived from 1997 culture-positive cases of human cervicofacial actinomycoses examined in our laboratories during 1972-1999. The causative actinomycetes belonged to at least 9 different species, among which Actinomyces israelii and Actinomyces gerencseriae predominated. The well-known predisposition of male patients to acquire the disease varied with age and appeared to be especially pronounced in patients aged 20-60 years, the highest incidence being found in female patients aged 11-40 years and in male patients aged 21-50 years. The relevant procedures necessary for diagnosing human actinomycoses reliably, as well as details of their complex etiology, are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Medical Microbiology and Hygiene, University of Cologne, Germany.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pulverer
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Schütt-Gerowitt
authors.forename: K P
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Schaal
mesh_terms: D039903:Actinobacteria / Q000145:classification; D000197:Actinomycosis, Cervicofacial / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000367:Age Factors; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012737:Sex Factors