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Actinomycoses are sporadically occurring endogenous polymicrobial inflammatory processes, in which fermentative actinomycetes of the genera Actinomyces, Propionibacterium, or Bifidobacterium act as the principal pathogens. Difficulties in diagnosing the disease in a timely and reliable fashion have led clinicians and microbiologists to grossly underestimate its medical importance. Therefore, we evaluated microbiological and selected clinical data derived from 1997 culture-positive cases of human cervicofacial actinomycoses examined in our laboratories during 1972-1999. The causative actinomycetes belonged to at least 9 different species, among which Actinomyces israelii and Actinomyces gerencseriae predominated. The well-known predisposition of male patients to acquire the disease varied with age and appeared to be especially pronounced in patients aged 20-60 years, the highest incidence being found in female patients aged 11-40 years and in male patients aged 21-50 years. The relevant procedures necessary for diagnosing human actinomycoses reliably, as well as details of their complex etiology, are discussed.

Background: Patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) are at an increased risk of pulmonary colonisation by opportunistic micro-organisms. Using specialised methods, the black yeast Exophiala dermatitidis could consistently be cultured from CF patients. Isolation rates from sputum samples ranged between 1.8 and 15.7%. Occasionally, infection could be recognised. Objectives: This study aimed at investigating the isolation rates of E. dermatitidis in samples taken from CF patients at the University of Bonn, Germany. Methods: Altogether, 439 respiratory specimens taken from 81 CF patients were screened for the occurrence of E. dermatitidis over a period of 18 months. For the selective isolation of this fungus erythritol-chloramphenicol agar (ECA) produced in house was applied. Results: The isolation rate of E. dermatitidis was 1.1% from all specimens, 1.6% from all sputum samples and 6.2% in all patients examined. Conclusions: Prior to the introduction of ECA, E. dermatitidis had never been isolated in our laboratory, either from CF, or from any other patient. During this study, E. dermatitidis was found to colonise the respiratory tract of some CF patients. The use of additional selective culture media is necessary for the recognition of uncommon fungi, e.g. E. dermatitidis, in CF patients.

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A new species of the genus Nocardiopsis, for which we propose the name Nocardiopsis lucentensis sp. nov. (type strain, strain DSM 44048), was isolated from a salt marsh soil sample near Alicante, Spain. Whole-cell hydrolysates contain the meso isomer of diaminopimelic acid and no characteristic sugar; thus, the cell wall composition is type 111. Menaquinone MK-lO(H,) is the major menaquinone, and the phospholipid type is type PI11 (phosphatidylcholine present). Spore chains are rectiflexibilis, and in the early stages of sporulation zig-zag-shaped aerial hyphae are observed. This microorganism produces compatible solutes of the ectoine type and is characterized by a yellowish to yellowish brown substrate mycelium and a white aerial mycelium. This organism exhibits only 40 to 50% DNA relatedness to other Nocardiopsis spp.

Chemotaxonomic and 16s ribosomal DNA sequence analyses of an isolate from the sputum of a patient with a mycobacterial lung infection clearly delineated a new species of the genus Tsukarnurella. This new species can be defined on the basis of genotypic and phenotypic data. The name Tsukamurella pulmonis sp. nov. is proposed for this organism; the type strain is IMMIB D-1321T (= DSM 44142T). This isolate shows 44.2 and 36.2% DNA relatedness to Tsukamurella paurometabola DSM 20162T (T = type strain) and Tsukamurella inchonensis DSM 44067T, respectively.

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Chemotaxonomic and genomic 16s ribosomal DNA sequence analyses of two isolates obtained from two different clinical materials clearly delineated a new species of the genus TsukamureZlu. This new species can be identified by its 16s ribosomal DNA similarity values, as well as its physiological characteristics. The name TsukamureZh inchonensis sp. nov. is proposed for these isolates, which are represented by strain IMMIB D-771T (= DSM 44067T) (T = type strain). This strain exhibits only 45% DNA relatedness to Tsukamurella pauro-