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These genera share many overlapping cytomorphologic features, including their thin, beaded, branching, Gram\u2010positive, GMS\u2010positive filamentous structures that fragment at their peripheries into bacillary\u2010 and coccoid\u2010appearing forms. Features that help distinguish between these 2 microorganisms include the width of their filamentous structures, the angles at which they branch, and their ability or lack thereof to retain a modified acid\u2010fast stain. In addition to cytomorphologic overlap, overlap in clinical presentation is frequent with pulmonary and mucocutaneous presentations seen in both. Differentiating between <jats:italic>Nocardia<\/jats:italic> and <jats:italic>Actinomyces<\/jats:italic> is essential because patients with these infections require different approaches to medical management. Both antibiotic susceptibilities and the need for early surgical intervention as part of the treatment plan vary greatly among these 2 groups. This review focuses on the clinical presentation, cytomorphology and staining characteristics that can be useful in identifying and distinguishing between <jats:italic>Nocardia<\/jats:italic> and <jats:italic>Actinomyces<\/jats:italic> infections, as well as their mimickers.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1002\/dc.23816","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2017,9,9]],"date-time":"2017-09-09T13:28:38Z","timestamp":1504963718000},"page":"1105-1115","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":59,"title":["The cytopathology of <i>Actinomyces<\/i>, <i>Nocardia<\/i>, and their mimickers"],"prefix":"10.1002","volume":"45","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2389-9851","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Kelsey E.","family":"McHugh","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Laboratory Medicine Cleveland Clinic, 9500 Euclid Avenue Cleveland Ohio 44195"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0153-498X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Charles D.","family":"Sturgis","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Laboratory Medicine Cleveland Clinic, 9500 Euclid Avenue Cleveland Ohio 44195"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Gary W.","family":"Procop","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Laboratory Medicine Cleveland Clinic, 9500 Euclid Avenue Cleveland Ohio 44195"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Daniel D.","family":"Rhoads","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pathology Case Western Reserve University, 10900 Euclid Ave Cleveland Ohio 44106"},{"name":"Department of Pathology University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, 11100 Euclid Ave Cleveland Ohio 44106"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"311","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2017,9,9]]},"reference":[{"key":"e_1_2_7_2_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/0378-1119(92)90560-C"},{"key":"e_1_2_7_3_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1128\/CMR.7.3.357"},{"key":"e_1_2_7_4_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1513\/pats.200907-077AL"},{"key":"e_1_2_7_5_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1086\/320537"},{"key":"e_1_2_7_6_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1001\/archinte.1969.00300140076017"},{"key":"e_1_2_7_7_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1093\/ofid\/ofw208"},{"key":"e_1_2_7_8_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1099\/jmm.0.030395-0"},{"key":"e_1_2_7_9_1","first-page":"1171","article-title":"Case records of the Massachusetts General Hospital. 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