Actinomycosis is a chronic, suppurative, granulomatous infectious disease, caused by different species of Actinomyces bacteria. To date, 26 validly published Actinomyces species have been described as part of a normal human microbiota or from human clinical specimens. Due to the rapid spread of new, modern diagnostic procedures, 13 of 26 of these species have been described in this century and the Actinomycetaceae family has undergone several taxonomic revisions, including the introduction of many novel species termed Actinomyces-like organisms (ALOs). There is scarce data available on the role of these novel bacterial species in various infectious processes in human medicine. The aim of this review is to provide a comprehensive overview of Actinomyces and closely related organisms involved in human diseases—with a special focus on newly described species—in particular their role in genitourinary tract infections in females and males.

Streptococcus suis (S. suis) is an emerging zoonotic pathogen, demonstrated as an etiological agent in human infections in increasing frequency, including diseases like purulent meningitis, sepsis, uveitis-endophtalmitis and arthritis. Due to the increased availability and utility of novel diagnostic technologies in clinical microbiology, more studies have been published on the epidemiology of S. suis, both in veterinary and human medicine; however, there are no comprehensive data available regarding human S. suis infections from East-Central European countries. As a part of our study, data were collected from the National Bacteriological Surveillance (NBS) system on patients who had at least one positive microbiological result for S. suis, corresponding to an 18-year study period (2002–2019). n = 74 S. suis strains were isolated from invasive human infections, corresponding to 34 patients. The number of affected patients was 1.89 ± 1.53/year (range: 0–5). Most isolates originated from blood culture (63.5%) and cerebrospinal fluid (18.9%) samples. Additionally, we present detailed documentation of three instructive cases from three regions of the country and with three distinctly different outcomes. Hungary has traditional agriculture, the significant portion of which includes the production and consumption of pork meat, with characteristic preparation and consumption customs and unfavorable epidemiological characteristics (alcohol consumption, prevalence of malignant diseases or diabetes), which have all been described as important predisposing factors for the development of serious infections. Clinicians and microbiologist need to be vigilant even in nonendemic areas, especially if the patients have a history of occupational hazards or having close contact with infected pigs.

Obligate anaerobic bacteria are important members of the normal human microbiota, present in high numbers on mucosal surfaces (e

Tuberculosis (TB) was a large burden of infections that peaked during the 19th century in Europe. Mummies from the 18th century CE, discovered in the crypt of a church at Vác, Hungary, had high TB prevalence, as revealed by amplification of key fragments of TB DNA and genome-wide TB analysis. Complementary methods are needed to confirm these diagnoses and one approach uses the identification of specific lipid biomarkers, such as TB mycocerosic acids (MCs). Previously, MC derivatives were profiled by specialised gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), so an alternative more direct approach has been developed. Underivatized MCs are extracted and analysed by high-performance liquid chromatography linked to a mass spectrometer, in heated electrospray ionisation mode (HPLC-HESI-MS). The method was validated using representatives of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex and other mycobacteria and tested on six Vác mummy cases, previously considered positive for TB infection. Analysing both rib and soft tissue samples, four out of six cases gave profiles of main C32 and major C29 and C39 mycocerosates correlating well with those of M. tuberculosis. Multidisciplinary methods are needed in the diagnosis of ancient tuberculosis; this new protocol accesses important confirmatory evidence, as demonstrated by the confirmation of TB in the Vác mummies.