ANAEROBIC CULTURE

LAB233

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Anaerobic bacteria cause essentially the same types of infection as aerobic or facultatively anaerobic bacteria. Infections involving anaerobes are often polymicrobial, i.e., the anaerobes are mixed with aerobes, facultative anaerobes, or other anaerobes, or there may be a single species in pure culture. It is necessary for the laboratory to isolate and identify anaerobic bacteria from properly selected and collected specimens because (I) anaerobic infections are common, (ii) these infections are associated with high morbidity and mortality, (iii) clinical clues suggestive of anaerobic infections are not specific, and (iv) the treatment of these infections varies with the species of bacteria involved and often differs from that of infections not involving anaerobes. Knowledge of the species identified can aid the physician in the determination of the probable clinical significance of isolates and in the selection of antimicrobial agents for therapy. Anaerobic bacteria are widely distributed in natural environments that have a low oxygen tension and redox potential. In humans, anaerobic bacteria reside as normal flora on the skin and mucous membrane surfaces of the nasopharynx, oropharynx, mouth, gastrointestinal tract, orifices of the external genitalia, urethra and vagina. However, when anaerobes of the indigenous flora find conditions suitable for growth in tissues outside their habitats, they can cause disease. It is important to recognize that the normal flora may be modified by several factors, including antibiotics, chemotherapeutic agents, obstruction, and various diseases.