title: Anaerobic bacteria in upper respiratory tract and head and neck infections: microbiology and treatment.
abstract: Anaerobes are the predominant components of oropharyngeal mucous membranes bacterial flora, and are therefore a common cause of bacterial infections of endogenous origin of upper respiratory tract and head and neck. This review summarizes the aerobic and anaerobic microbiology and antimicrobials therapy of these infections. These include acute and chronic otitis media, mastoiditis and sinusitis, pharyngo-tonsillitis, peritonsillar, retropharyngeal and parapharyngeal abscesses, suppurative thyroiditis, cervical lymphadenitis, parotitis, siliadenitis, and deep neck infections including Lemierre Syndrome. The recovery from these infections depends on prompt and proper medical and when indicated also surgical management.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Pediatrics and Medicine, Georgetown University School of Medicine, Washington, DC 20016, USA. ib6@georgetown.edu
authors.forename: Itzhak
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Brook
mesh_terms: D000038:Abscess / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001420:Bacteria, Aerobic / Q000302:isolation & purification; D001421:Bacteria, Anaerobic / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology*; D006257:Head / Q000382:microbiology*; D006801:Humans; D009333:Neck / Q000382:microbiology*; D010033:Otitis Media / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology; D010608:Pharyngeal Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology*; D012852:Sinusitis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology; D014069:Tonsillitis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents