Anaerobic bacteria in septicaemia and endocarditis.
Anaerobic septicaemia is often a complication of preexisting anaerobic sepsis which is commonly a complication of surgical interference. The predominant anaerobic bacterial isolate in septicaemia if Bacteroides fragilis. Anaerobic cocci and clostridia are not infrequently found as causes of septicaemia. The incidence of polymicrobial septicaemia varies in the different reports. The clinical features of septicaemia due to anaerobic Gram-negative rods vary little from those due to facultative anaerobic Gram-negative rods. The entry portal of bacteroides and clostridia is the gastrointestinal tract and the female genital tract. The portal of entry of anaerobic cocci is the respiratory tract. Anaerobic septicaemia include a high incidence of jaundice, septic thrombophlebitis and metastatic abscess formation. When appropriate antibacterial agents are used for the treatment of anaerobic septicaemia, a mortality rate of 10% is seen while in the absence of treatment the mortality is high, 60-80%. Anaerobic bacteria is an uncommon but important cause of endocarditis. Most cases of anaerobic endocarditis are caused by anaerobic cocci, Propionibacterium acnes and B. fragilis. Predisposing factors and signs and symptoms of endocarditis caused by anaerobic bacteria are similar to those seen in endocarditis with facultative anaerobic bacteria with the following exceptions. There is a lower incidence of preexisting valvular heart disease, a higher incidence of thromboemboli events and a higher mortality rate with anaerobic endocarditis. The article is a review of our present knowledge of the normal anaerobic human microflora in relation to development of septicaemia and endocarditis, virulence factors in anaerobic bacteria, antibiotic susceptibility patterns of anaerobic bacteria and clinical findings in patients with anaerobic septicaemia respectively endocarditis.
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001441:Bacteroides fragilis / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D004352:Drug Resistance, Microbial; D004696:Endocarditis / Q000382:microbiology*; D006801:Humans; D018805:Sepsis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D014774:Virulence
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents