Infectious Disease Compendium

Actinobacillus

Microbiology

Includes A. equuli (from animal mouths), A. lignieresi, A. suis, A. ureae. A. actinomycetemcomicans (from the human mouth) is now Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans

"Out of the 22 species or species like taxa reported as Actinobacillus, 19 are associated with animals (Pubmed)."

Syndromes

A. actinomycetemcomicans is a cause of endocarditis (it puts the A in HACEK), head and neck infections and part of aspiration pneumonia with or without empyema.

All the rest, especially Actinobacillus ureae (formerly known as Pasteurella ureae) are reported to cause a hodgepodge of infections in humans, with meningitis (Pubmed) at the top of the list.

Many occur from animal bites.

Treatment

Third-generation cephalosporins, ciprofloxacin, gentamicin, tetracyclines. Endocarditis is usually treated with penicillin plus an aminoglycoside.

Notes

Sloooooow growers and can take > 48 h to pop positive in blood cultures.

Last update: 12/08/19