Actinomyces bacteria are mostly harmless microbes and many of them are found in the mouth or intestine. They inhabit our bodies from early on. They are to be found on 97% of all two-year-old children.
Actinomyces bacteria are mostly harmless microbes and many of them are found in the mouth or intestine. They inhabit our bodies from early on. They are to be found on 97% of all two-year-old children.
No fungus though
The term Actinomyces is from Greek and means ‘ray-fungus’. Not a very good name for a genus of bacterium. The branched structure of the bacteria made scientists at first think they were fungi.
Various species
Over 20 different species of Actinomyces have been scientifically described. Only a small number of these species can cause the infectious illness called actinomycosis. Luckily this sickness occurs very rarely. This is in part thanks to advances in oral hygiene. And there are effective medicines to treat the disease should these bacteria now and again cause an infection.
Important for man and nature
Actinomyces are not just to be found on our bodies but also in very large numbers in the ground. It is here that they produce various enzymes which are important in the breaking down of organic material. Actinomyces bacteria are also of importance to humans. This is because antibiotics can be produced from them.