Actinobaculum schaalii: A truly emerging pathogen?

Abstract

Actinobaculum schaalii is a Gram-positive facultative anaerobe bacillus. It is a commensal organism of the genitourinary tract. Its morphology is nonspecific. Aerobic culture is tedious, and identification techniques have long been inadequate. Thus, A. schaalii has often been considered as a nonpathogen bacterium or a contaminant. Its pathogenicity is now well described in urinary tract infections, and infections in other sites have been reported. This pathogen is considered as an emerging one following the growing use of mass spectrometry identification. In this context, the aim of our study was to evaluate the number of isolations of A. schaalii before and after the introduction of mass spectrometry in our hospital and to study the clinical circumstances in which isolates were found.

Keywords

• Actinobaculum schaalii
• Actinotignum schaalii
• emerging infections
• Gram-positive bacilli
• mass spectrometry
• urinary tract infections