Aspects of anaerobic infections in animals

Abstract

The recent literature on clostridial infections of animals and infections due to gram-negative anaerobic rods is reviewed. It is stressed that quite recently the literature is concerned with animal models for the evaluation and study of the chemotherapy, immunity mechanisms and pathogenesis of Fusobacterium and Bacteroides infections in animals came into being.

BSAVA EDUCATION COMMITTEE COMMISSIONED ARTICLE: Anaerobic bacteria: a cause of infection?

“…Animal model experiments in mice, rats, guinea-pigs and dogs have been devised to reproduce various human infections so that the bacterial species responsible can be identified and schemes for antibiotic treatment of mixed infections be investigated. Subcutaneous, intraabdominal and brain abscesses have been used in these studies (Abe, Lennard and Holland, 1976;Onderdonk and others, 1979;Goldberg, 1980;Joiner and others, 1980;Costello and others, 1983;Nulsen and others, 1983;Berg and others, 1984) and a guinea-pig model for otitis media has also been described (Thore, Burman and Holm, 1984). The frequent and repeated isolation of B. frugilis from a variety of infections stimulated research to try to identify the mechanisms responsible for the virulence of the organism.…”