ANTIBIOTIC SUSCEPTIBILITY OF ANAEROBIC-BACTERIA

Many antibiotics show in vitro activity against one or more groups of clinically important anaerobic bacteria, but B. fragilis strains may show resistance to commonly-used antibiotics. There is no one 'anti-anaerobic wonder drug'-rather a series of choices for different clinical situations. With increasing therapeutic use of these compounds, the development of bacterial resistance to them may limit the choice of antibiotics in the future. The search continues for new antibiotics active against anaerobic bacteria (e.g. for an antibiotic active against both anaerobic organisms and resistant Gram-negative aerobes such as Ps. aeruginosa). Meanwhile it is clear that reliable sensitivity tests, rapidly reported, together with good clinical-laboratory liaison, can ensure that anaerobic infections are effectively treated by the antibiotics at present available. © 1979 The British Society for the Study of Infection.