A chronic bacterial infection caused by actinomycete bacteria, typically affecting the jaw, lungs, or abdomen.
From actinomycete plus -osis (a medical suffix meaning disease or condition), meaning 'a condition caused by ray fungi.'
This disease used to be called 'lumpy jaw' because it caused painful, rock-hard swellings—it's a reminder that some of the most dangerous infections come from bacteria living in our own mouths.
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