title: [Current clinical significance of anaerobic bacteremia].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  to estimate tje current clinical significance of anaerobic bacteremia in a group of Czech hospitals.
  
  
  METHODS
  this retrospective analysis comprised 8 444 anaerobic blood cultures in patients admitted to four Czech hospitals between 2004 and 2007.
  
  
  RESULTS
  in 16 patients, blood cultures yielded significant anaerobic bacteria. Thus, anaerobic bacteremia accounted for less than 2 % of clinically significant bacteremia. Four patients (18 %) died but none of the deaths could be clearly attributable to anaerobic bacteria in the bloodstream. The most common comorbidities predisposing to anaerobic bacteremia and the most frequent sources of infection were similar to those reported by other authors. The majority of anaerobic bacteremia cases were due to gram-negative bacteria, followed by Clostridium perfringens and, surprisingly, Eubacterium spp. (particularly Eubacterium lentum).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  anaerobic bacteremia remains rare. The comparison of our data with those by other authors suggests that (despite the reported high mortality) the actual clinical significance of anaerobic bacteremia is rather controversial and that the anaerobic bacteremia might not correspond to more serious pathogenic role of the anaerobic bacteria as the source of infection.
authors.affiliation: Oddelení Kliniké Mikrobiologie, Oblastní Mladá Boleslav, Mladá Boleslav, Czech Republic. roman.jirsa@onmb.cz
authors.forename: Roman
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Jirsa
authors.forename: Veronika
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Marešová
authors.forename: Zdeněk
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Brož
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016470:Bacteremia / Q000150:complications / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000401:mortality; D001421:Bacteria, Anaerobic / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged