Infectious Disease Compendium

Anaerobes

This represents a huge number of organisms, the most important of which are Bacteroides spp and Prevotella, but not limited to these organisms.

They are the predominant bacteria of the gi and gu tract.

They cannot grow in the presence of oxygen.

As a general rule, they are part of mixed infections and/or in dead tissue.

The problem with anaerobes is that resistance to clindamycin is increasing rapidly, 30% as I write this. My order for the reliable killing of anaerobes is cold steel, oxygen, metronidazole, carbapenems, penicillin/beta-lactamase inhibitors, and cefoxitin, cefmetazole.

Curious Cases

Relevant links to my Medscape blog

Uncultured

Last update: 12/23/19