Actinomyces pyogenes bacteraemia in a patient with carcinoma of the colon.

A patient with carcinoma of the colon adherent to the pelvis developed Actinomyces pyogenes bacteraemia after uterine curettage but recovered with antibiotic treatment. This organism is a Gram-positive cocco-bacillus, beta-haemolytic when growing on blood agar and reactive with Lancefield group G antiserum. These features could easily lead to its misidentification as a streptococcus. Reports of human infection with A. pyogenes are summarised.