Actinobacillus

General:

Clinical:

• Normal: Colonize the oropharynx of humans and animals.
• Abnormal: Periodontitis, endocarditis, bite wound infections, opportunistic infections.

Resistance: Not uncommon resistances to penicillins and macrolides.

Morphology: Small Gram- oval coccobacilli.

Growth characteristics: Facultative anaerobes which tend to grow slowly (2~3 days of culture incubation, <=3mm colonies).

Common/important pathogens:

• Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans (strictly speaking it is in genus Haemophilus, but remains traditionally in Actinobacillus)
• Actinobacillus hominis
• Actinobacillus ureae