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APMIS 2021 Dec 27;129(12):711-716. Epub 2021 Oct 27.

Department of Clinical Sciences, Otorhinolaryngology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.

The pharyngeal mucosa can be colonized with bacteria that have potential to cause pharyngotonsillitis. By the use of culturing techniques and PCR, we aimed to assess the prevalence of bacterial pharyngeal pathogens among healthy adolescents and young adults. We performed a cross-sectional study in a community-based cohort of 217 healthy individuals between 16 and 25 years of age. Read More

Int J Pediatr Otorhinolaryngol 2021 Jul 13;146:110759. Epub 2021 May 13.

Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at 1515 Holcombe Blvd, Houston, TX, 77030, USA; Department of Infectious Diseases, Infection Control and Employee Health, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Blvd, Houston, TX, 77030, USA. Electronic address:

Introduction: Arcanobacterium haemolyticum causes pharyngotonsillitis in children and young adults. It is rarely isolated in pharyngeal swabs as testing for it is not routine. Data on complications, management, and antibiotic susceptibility testing is limited. Read More

IDCases 2021 26;24:e01139. Epub 2021 Apr 26.

Genetics Department, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

can cause deep infections, including osteomyelitis. In this study, an automated system misidentified this causal agent as species but 16 s rRNA sequencing correctly identified it as . Recognizing the capability of to establish the disease is of great importance to enable accurate diagnosis and begin the suitable antibiotic therapy. Read More

IDCases 2021 21;23:e01014. Epub 2020 Nov 21.

Department of Neurosurgery, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Maryland, United States.

is an extremely rare cause of cerebral abscess. We present a unique case of sinusitis complicated by preseptal cellulitis and cerebral abscess. The patient initially presented with pharyngitis and then developed sinus congestion, headache and facial pain. Read More

Rev Esp Enferm Dig 2020 Dec;112(12):954-955

Microbiología, Hospital Valle del Nalón.

We report the case of a 90-year-old female who was admitted to our hospital due to a three-day history of right abdominal pain and fever of 39 °C (102 °F). The patient's blood pressure was low, with good blood perfusion and no jaundice, and her abdomen was soft and tender in the right hypochondriac and lateral region, with no guarding. Laboratory tests showed: blood glucose level of 201 mg/dl, 362 U/l AST, 237 U/l ALT, 2. Read More

J Hosp Infect 2020 Aug 14;105(4):691-697. Epub 2020 May 14.

Isala, Laboratory of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Zwolle, The Netherlands.

Introduction: Aging and comorbidities such as diabetes and vascular problems contribute to the increasing occurrence of chronic wounds. From the beginning of 2016, a marked increase in Arcanobacterium haemolyticum (ARH) in chronic wound cultures was noted among patients visiting a wound expertise centre in The Netherlands.

Aim: To report the outbreak investigation of ARH cultured from chronic wounds and describe the implemented infection prevention measures. Read More

Rev Argent Microbiol 2020 Oct - Dec;52(4):283-287. Epub 2020 Mar 20.

Hospital de Pediatría "Prof. Dr. Juan P. Garrahan", Argentina.

We report the case of a twenty-year-old immunocompetent male patient presenting to the emergency room with pharyngitis and fever. Blood cultures were drawn and Arcanobacterium haemolyticum (rough biotype) was recovered. The presence of the arcanolysin gene was investigated at the molecular level and the upstream region was amplified and sequenced in order to correlate it with the smooth or rough biotype. Read More

JMA J 2019 Sep 16;2(2):192-195. Epub 2019 May 16.

Department of Infectious Diseases, Showa General Hospital, Tokyo, Japan.

A 57-year-old man with untreated diabetes mellitus was admitted to our hospital due to an intrathoracic mass lesion infiltrating the vertebral body and mediastinum. The mass was suspected to be invasive lung cancer; however, percutaneous needle biopsy revealed that the mass was inflammatory granulation tissue caused by an infection. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of an intrathoracic mass lesion caused by an infection. Read More

Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2019 Sep;69(9):2942-2947

Research Units of Discovery of Unknown Bacteria and Function, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing 100730, PR China.

Two hitherto unknown bacteria (strains 313 and 352) were recovered from the faeces of Tibetan antelopes on the Tibet-Qinghai Plateau, PR China. Cells were rod-shaped and Gram-stain-positive. The optimal growth conditions were at 37 °C and pH 7. Read More

Infection 2019 Dec 5;47(6):1055-1057. Epub 2019 Apr 5.

Department of Orthopedics, Jai Prakash Narayan Apex Trauma Centre, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India.

We report a rare case of post-traumatic cutaneous diphtheria in a patient referred from a hospital in rural India. The diagnosis of cutaneous diphtheria was confirmed by the isolation of Corynebacterium diphtheriae cultured from the ulcer of the leg, along with Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes, and Arcanobacterium haemolyticum. The patient was kept on isolation and treated with erythromycin for 14 days without antitoxin. Read More

Infect Immun 2019 03 23;87(5). Epub 2019 Apr 23.

Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center-Shreveport, Shreveport, Louisiana, USA

is an emerging human pathogen that causes pharyngitis and wound infections. A few studies have suggested that is able to induce its uptake into nonphagocytic epithelial cells, but the bacterial factors associated with host cell invasion and the host cell processes involved have yet to be studied. We investigated how two virulence factors, arcanolysin (ALN) and phospholipase D (PLD), affect the ability of the bacteria to adhere to and subsequently invade Detroit 562 pharyngeal epithelial cells. Read More

Intern Med 2019 Jun 1;58(11):1645-1647. Epub 2019 Feb 1.

Center for Global Health, Mito Kyodo General Hospital, University of Tsukuba, Japan.

An 81-year-old Japanese man with no history of diabetes mellitus was admitted to our hospital for a fever with a new ulcerative lesion on the left heel. Blood cultures on admission grew Arcanobacterium haemolyticum in aerobic bottles. He was therefore diagnosed with A. Read More

Int J Gen Med 2018 28;11:451-456. Epub 2018 Nov 28.

Reckitt Benckiser Healthcare International Ltd, Slough, Berkshire, UK,

Purpose: Pharyngitis is commonly caused by a self-limiting upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) and symptoms typically include sore throat. Antibiotics are often inappropriately used for the treatment of pharyngitis, which can contribute to antimicrobial resistance, therefore non-antibiotic treatments which have broad antiseptic effects may be more appropriate. Amylmetacresol (AMC) and 2,4-dichlorobenzyl alcohol (DCBA) are present in some antiseptic lozenges and have established benefits in providing symptomatic relief and some in vitro antiviral action. Read More

Clin Infect Dis 2019 01;68(3):482-489

Barcelona Institute for Global Health, Hospital Clínic-University of Barcelona, Spain.

Background: Treponema pallidum subsp pertenue and Haemophilus ducreyi are causative agents of cutaneous ulcer (CU) in yaws-endemic regions in the tropics. However, a significant proportion of CU patients remain polymerase chain reaction (PCR) negative for both bacterial agents. We aimed to identify potential additional etiological agents of CU in a yaws-endemic region. Read More

Toxins (Basel) 2018 05 23;10(6). Epub 2018 May 23.

Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center-Shreveport, 1501 Kings Highway, P.O. Box 33932, Shreveport, LA 71130-3932, USA.

Arcanolysin, produced by the human pathogen , is a cholesterol-dependent cytolysin. To mediate the pore-formation process, arcanolysin is secreted by and then must interact with cholesterol embedded within a host membrane. However, arcanolysin must compete with membrane components, such as the phospholipid sphingomyelin, to interact with cholesterol and form pores. Read More

Vet Microbiol 2018 Mar 6;216:45-51. Epub 2018 Feb 6.

Institute of Food Quality and Food Safety, Research Center for Emerging Infections and Zoonoses (RIZ), University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, Bünteweg 17, D-30559 Hannover, Germany.

In the present study 12 Arcanobacterium phocae strains isolated from fur animals in Finland, including foxes, minks and Finnraccoons, could successfully be identified phenotypically, by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionisation-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) and genotypically by sequencing 16S rDNA and phocaelysin (PHL) encoding gene phl. The PHL of all 12 A. phocae strains in the present study and reference strains A. Read More

Acute Med 2017 ;16(3):145-148

Consultant in acute medicine, Kingston Hospital, Galsworthy Road, Kingston upon Thames, KT2 7QB.

The presentation of a 'sore throat' is common and often requires only symptomatic treatment. This is the case of a 20-year-old female who presented with persistent symptoms of a sore throat. On admission she had raised inflammatory markers and a subsequent blood culture demonstrated a fusobacterium necrophorum and arcanobacterium haemolyticum bacteraemia. Read More

Infect Dis Clin Pract (Baltim Md) 2017 May;25(3):e9-e11

Department of Molecular Virology and Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine, 1 Baylor Plaza, BCM385, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.

is an uncommon cause of pharyngitis with rash that occurs predominantly among adolescents and that has been only rarely implicated in severe or systemic infections. We report a case of subdural empyema and bacteremia due to in an adolescent woman following physical assault with trauma to the head, which required neurosurgical intervention combined with prolonged antibiotic therapy. We additionally describe the previous occurrences of culture positivity recorded over a fifteen-year period by the microbiology laboratories of the two large academic medical centers at which this patient received care, and review the epidemiology, laboratory identification, and treatment of this unusual pathogen. Read More

JMM Case Rep 2016 Feb 12;3(1):e005016. Epub 2016 Feb 12.

Department of Clinical Laboratory Science, College of Health Sciences, Catholic University of Pusan , Busan 609-757 , Korea.

Introduction: (formerly known as ) is the causative agent of sore throat and also causes skin and soft tissue infections in diabetes patients. is a Gram-positive, catalase-negative, β-haemolytic bacillus. poses a diagnostic challenge in the hospital laboratory because most coryneform bacilli are considered as normal flora or contaminants, and it is therefore difficult to differentiate from β-haemolytic streptococci by colony characteristics. Read More

Pan Afr Med J 2016 27;25:28. Epub 2016 Sep 27.

Laboratoire de Bactériologie, Université Mohammed V, Faculté de Médecine et de Pharmacie, Hôpital Militaire d'Instruction Mohammed V, Rabat, Maroc.

Arcanobacterium hemolyticum (A.haemolyticum) is a gram-positive bacillus. Man is the primary environmental reservoir. Read More

Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2017 Jul 5;67(7):2093-2097. Epub 2017 Jul 5.

Institut für Lebensmittelqualität und -sicherheit, Stiftung Tierärztliche Hochschule Hannover, 30173 Hannover, Germany.

A taxonomic study using a polyphasic approach was performed on an unidentified Arcanobacterium-like Gram-stain-positive bacterium isolated from the genital tract of a rhinoceros. Comparative 16S rRNA gene sequencing showed that the bacterium belonged to the genus Arcanobacterium and was most closely related to the type strains of Arcanobacterium canis (98.8 % 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity), Arcanobacterium phocisimile (97. Read More

Toxicon 2015 Dec 19;108:176-80. Epub 2015 Oct 19.

Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA. Electronic address:

Phospholipase D (PLD) toxins from sicariid spiders, which cause disease in mammals, were recently found to convert their primary substrates, sphingomyelin and lysophosphatidylcholine, to cyclic phospholipids. Here we show that two PLD toxins from pathogenic actinobacteria and ascomycete fungi, which share distant homology with the spider toxins, also generate cyclic phospholipids. This shared function supports divergent evolution of the PLD toxins from a common ancestor and suggests the importance of cyclic phospholipids in pathogenicity. Read More

PLoS One 2015 18;10(9):e0137346. Epub 2015 Sep 18.

Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, Shreveport, Louisiana, United States of America.

Arcanobacterium haemolyticum is a Gram-positive, β-hemolytic emerging human pathogen that is classified into smooth or rough biotypes. This bacterial species is also a rare pathogen of animals. Smooth biotypes possess smooth colony edges, are moderate to strong in β-hemolysis, and predominately cause wound infections. Read More

J Zoo Wildl Med 2015 Jun;46(2):427-30

A 10-yr-old female okapi (Okapia johnstoni) at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park was evaluated for intermittent malaise, inappetence, occasional cough, abdominal splinting, and licking at both flanks. Physical examination revealed tachypnea, tachycardia, and fluid sounds on thoracic auscultation. Transthoracic ultrasound showed multiple uniform, anechoic filled structures in the right and left pleural space. Read More

Ophthalmic Plast Reconstr Surg 2015 May-Jun;31(3):250

J Med Microbiol 2015 Apr 9;64(Pt 4):369-374. Epub 2015 Feb 9.

Department of Clinical Laboratory, Ehime University Hospital, Toon, Japan.

Bacteriological examinations were conducted for seven Arcanobacterium haemolyticum strains isolated from elderly patients with skin and soft-tissue infections, such as cellulitis and skin ulcers. Streptococcus dysgalactiae or Gram-positive cocci were isolated together with A. haemolyticum from all patients. Read More

Genome Biol Evol 2014 Sep 22;6(10):2625-33. Epub 2014 Sep 22.

Sichuan Key Laboratory of Conservation Biology on Endangered Wildlife, College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China

The family Actinomycetaceae comprises several important pathogens that impose serious threat to human health and cause substantial infections of economically important animals. However, the phylogeny and evolutionary dynamic of this family are poorly characterized. Here, we provide detailed description of the genome characteristics of Trueperella pyogenes, a prevalent opportunistic bacterium that belongs to the family Actinomycetaceae, and the results of comparative genomics analyses suggested that T. Read More

Ophthalmic Plast Reconstr Surg 2015 Mar-Apr;31(2):e31-3

*Oregon Health & Science University, Portland; †Craniofacial & Pediatric Plastic Surgery, Dell Children's Medical Center of Central Texas, University Medical Center at Brackenridge, Austin, Texas, U.S.A.

The facial region is infrequently affected by necrotizing infections. Orbital necrotizing infections are even rarer, seen following trauma, local skin infection, and sinusitis. The authors report a unique case of orbital necrotizing fasciitis and osteomyelitis resulting from Arcanobacterium Haemolyticum ethmoid sinusitis. Read More

BMC Res Notes 2014 Mar 29;7:196. Epub 2014 Mar 29.

Institute of Medical Microbiology, Justus-Liebig University Giessen, Schubertstrasse 81, D-35392 Giessen, Germany.

Background: Polymicrobial infections caused by combinations of different bacteria are being detected with an increasing frequency. The evidence of such complex infections is being revealed through the use of novel molecular and culture-independent methods. Considerable progress has been made in the last decade regarding the diagnostic application of such molecular techniques. Read More