ACTINOMYCOSIS

ACTINOMYCOSIS
synonyms: Lumpy jaw
 Definition:

 Chronic infection of cattle, horse, commonly

involves head and Neck region.
 Characterized by rarefying osteomyelitis of
mandible or maxilla.
Etiology
 .

Actinomyces bovis, gram +ve,

rod shaped, anaerobe, fungus like structure,
branching and filamentous morphologically,
non-sporulation, non motile,
 Predisposing factors

 Injuries in the mouth buccal mucosa,

 straw,
 silage mixed feed
 Epidemiology

 Worldwide, Sporadic, dental alveoli

 mostly in cattle, horses and pigs, normally non
pathogenic in the nose and throat.
 in horse, with Brucella aborts produces ‘fistulous
withers’ produce open Sinus formation.
 (poll evil, and fistula withers), can also sometime
cause pulmonary

 Susceptible host

 2-4 years old cattle

 Pathogenesis

 Buccal mucosa entry

 Rarefy the jaw bones
 Leading to osteomyelitis

 Involvement of the rumen leads to rumenitis

and chronic tampny.
Clinical signs
Incubation period 1-3 weeks
Painless bony swelling at the mandible or maxilla.
Lose teeth or missing teeth.
Interference prehension and mastication,
hyper salivation
Dysphagia difficulties,
development of sinus tract,
yellowish purulent exudate, pus containing granular
material called Sulphur granules.
 Foul breath known as halitosis
 Chronic bloat in cattle occurs, weakness
 Fistula
 Necropsy findings
 Rarefication of the bone’
 Development of the sinus and presence of
the pus club colonies thread like bacterial
colonies
 Granulatomous lesions with pockets of pus,
 At esophageal groove, and other parts of
the GIT involved contain pus.
 Diagnosis
 Clinical findings.
 Microscopic examination of pus containing granules
Gram stain.

 Culture. (poor growth in culture only in less than 50%

of cases.)
 Sulphur granules (yellowish myecelial masses)
 Specimens – open biopsy, aspiration material
Microscopic examination method
 Place between 2 slides

 Crush and gram stain

 Gram positive branching filaments

Treatment
 Sodium iodide 15 gram in 250ml
distilled water intravenous
 Potassium iodide 2 g/100kg---
 Streptomycin + iodide and surgical
drainage
 Isoniazed 20mg/kg bw for two - three
months
 Complications

 Osteomyelitis(although not common).

 Otitis media.
 Meningitis.
 Prevention
 No vaccine available
 Segregate the animal