Actinotignum schaalii (formerly Actinobaculum schaalii) is a fastidious, anaerobic gram-positive rod increasingly recognized in UTIs, especially among the elderly and those with urological comorbidities. It is difficult to culture and often overlooked by standard diagnostic methods, despite being a frequent contributor to symptomatic infections. PCR testing is the most reliable method for detection and proper management (Lotte & Lotte 2016, Sahuquillo-Arce et al. 2024, Wang et al. 2023).
Lotte R, Lotte L, Ruimy R. Actinotignum schaalii (formerly Actinobaculum schaalii): a newly recognized pathogen-review of the literature. Clin Microbiol Infect. 2016 Jan;22(1):28-36.
Sahuquillo-Arce JM, Suárez-Urquiza P, Hernández-Cabezas A, Tofan L, Chouman-Arcas R, García-Hita M, Sabalza-Baztán O, Sellés-Sánchez A, Lozano-Rodríguez N, Martí-Cuñat J, López-Hontangas JL. Actinotignum schaalii infection: Challenges in diagnosis and treatment. Heliyon. 2024 Mar 22;10(7): e28589.
Wang, D., Haley, E., Luke, N., Mathur, M., Festa, R. A., Zhao, X., Anderson, L. A., Allison, J. L., Stebbins, K. L., Diaz, M. J., & Baunoch, D. (2023). Emerging and Fastidious Uropathogens Were Detected by M-PCR with Similar Prevalence and Cell Density in Catheter and Midstream Voided Urine Indicating the Importance of These Microbes in Causing UTIs. Infection and drug resistance, 16, 7775–7795. https://doi.org/10.2147/IDR.S429990
