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Current Opinion in Infectious Diseases Dec 2019Anaerobic bacteria are implicated in a broad range of infections and can cause significant morbidity and mortality. As such, development of antimicrobial resistance... (Review)
Review
PURPOSE OF REVIEW
Anaerobic bacteria are implicated in a broad range of infections and can cause significant morbidity and mortality. As such, development of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) increases the risk of worse clinical outcomes and death.
RECENT FINDINGS
Anaerobe AMR is highly variable according to region and species included in the survey. The overall trend is to increasing resistance, particularly in Europe and Asia, and in the Bacteroides fragilis group and Clostridium sp. Conversely, with the decline in RT027, resistance in Clostridiodes difficile is decreasing. Resistance to moxifloxacin and clindamycin has reached 30-50%, whereas prevalence of metronidazole and carbapenem resistance is generally low. Infections due to multidrug anaerobes have been increasingly reported, with clinical studies demonstrating adverse clinical outcomes, including higher mortality, with anaerobic resistance or inappropriate therapy. The role of antimicrobial stewardship in the setting of increasing anaerobe resistance is yet to be fully elucidated.
SUMMARY
These findings highlight the importance of continuous surveillance in monitoring emerging trends in anaerobe AMR. Mean inhibitory concentrations should be reported due to variable susceptibility breakpoints and for detection of isolates with reduced susceptibility. At a local level, the clinical microbiology laboratory has a key role in identifying and undertaking susceptibility testing to inform individual patient management, develop local antibiograms and liaise with antimicrobial stewardship teams. A greater understanding of the clinical impact of anaerobic resistance and the role of antimicrobial stewardship in preventing resistance is required.
Topics: Anti-Bacterial Agents; Antimicrobial Stewardship; Bacteria, Anaerobic; Bacterial Infections; Drug Resistance, Bacterial; Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial; Health Care Surveys; Humans
PubMed: 31567734
DOI: 10.1097/QCO.0000000000000595 -
Anaerobe Dec 2015In an effort to improve mobility and alleviate pain from degenerative and connective tissue joint disease, an increasing number of individuals are undergoing prosthetic... (Review)
Review
In an effort to improve mobility and alleviate pain from degenerative and connective tissue joint disease, an increasing number of individuals are undergoing prosthetic joint replacement in the United States. Joint replacement is a highly effective intervention, resulting in improved quality of life and increased independence [1]. By 2030, it is predicted that approximately 4 million total hip and knee arthroplasties will be performed yearly in the United States [2]. One of the major complications associated with this procedure is prosthetic joint infection (PJI), occurring at a rate of 1-2% [3-7]. In 2011, the Musculoskeletal Infectious Society created a unifying definition for prosthetic joint infection [8]. The following year, the Infectious Disease Society of America published practice guidelines that focused on the diagnosis and management of PJI. These guidelines focused on the management of commonly encountered organisms associated with PJI, including staphylococci, streptococci and select aerobic Gram-negative bacteria. However, with the exception of Propionibacterium acnes, management of other anaerobic organisms was not addressed in these guidelines [1]. Although making up approximately 3-6% of PJI [9,10], anaerobic microorganisms cause devastating complications, and similar to the more common organisms associated with PJI, these bacteria also result in significant morbidity, poor outcomes and increased health-care costs. Data on diagnosis and management of anaerobic PJI is mostly derived from case reports, along with a few cohort studies [3]. There is a paucity of published data outlining factors associated with risks, diagnosis and management of anaerobic PJI. We therefore reviewed available literature on anaerobic PJI by systematically searching the PubMed database, and collected data from secondary searches to determine information on pathogenesis, demographic data, clinical features, diagnosis and management. We focused our search on five commonly encountered anaerobic organisms associated with PJI. Since anaerobic PJI has also been linked to dental procedures, we also reviewed information on the use of dental procedures and prophylaxis, when available.
Topics: Animals; Bacteria, Anaerobic; Humans; Joint Prosthesis; Prosthesis-Related Infections
PubMed: 26341272
DOI: 10.1016/j.anaerobe.2015.08.003 -
Annual Review of Microbiology 2004The natural production and anthropogenic release of halogenated hydrocarbons into the environment has been the likely driving force for the evolution of an unexpectedly... (Review)
Review
The natural production and anthropogenic release of halogenated hydrocarbons into the environment has been the likely driving force for the evolution of an unexpectedly high microbial capacity to dehalogenate different classes of xenobiotic haloorganics. This contribution provides an update on the current knowledge on metabolic and phylogenetic diversity of anaerobic microorganisms that are capable of dehalogenating--or completely mineralizing--halogenated hydrocarbons by fermentative, oxidative, or reductive pathways. In particular, research of the past decade has focused on halorespiring anaerobes, which couple the dehalogenation by dedicated enzyme systems to the generation of energy by electron transport-driven phosphorylation. Significant advances in the biochemistry and molecular genetics of degradation pathways have revealed mechanistic and structural similarities between dehalogenating enzymes from phylogenetically distinct anaerobes. The availability of two almost complete genome sequences of halorespiring isolates recently enabled comparative and functional genomics approaches, setting the stage for the further exploitation of halorespiring and other anaerobic dehalogenating microbes as dedicated degraders in biological remediation processes.
Topics: Amino Acid Sequence; Bacteria, Anaerobic; Biodegradation, Environmental; Environmental Microbiology; Hydrocarbons, Halogenated; Molecular Sequence Data; Oxidation-Reduction; Phylogeny; Sequence Alignment; Soil Pollutants
PubMed: 15487929
DOI: 10.1146/annurev.micro.58.030603.123600 -
Anaerobe Apr 2021It was estimated that more than 700 bacterial species inhabit the oral cavity of healthy humans. Anaerobes comprise a significant fraction of the oral bacteriome and... (Review)
Review
It was estimated that more than 700 bacterial species inhabit the oral cavity of healthy humans. Anaerobes comprise a significant fraction of the oral bacteriome and play an important role in the formation of multi-species biofilms attached to various anatomical sites. Bacterial biofilms are also associated with pathologic laesions of the oral cavity, including oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), and distinct oral taxa could also be detected within the tumors, i.e. in deep biopsy samples. These observations suggested that certain oral bacteria or oral bacterial communities may play a causative role in oral carcinogenesis, in addition to the well characterized risk factors of oral cancer. Alternatively, it was also proposed that a subset of oral bacteria may have a growth advantage in the unique microenvironment of OSCC. Recently, a series of studies analysed the OSCC-associated bacterial communities using metataxonomic, metagenomic and metatranscriptomic approaches. This review outlines the major differences between the community structure of microbiota in tumor biopsy, surface-biofilm and salivary or oral wash samples collected from OSCC patients, compared to corresponding samples from control persons. A special emphasis is given to the anaerobic bacteria Fusobacterium nucleatum and Fusobacterium periodonticum that were characterised repeatedly as "OSCC-associated" in independent studies. Predicted microbial functions and relevant in vivo experimental models of oral carcinogenesis will also be summarized.
Topics: Anaerobiosis; Animals; Bacteria, Anaerobic; Biofilms; Humans; Microbiota; Mouth Neoplasms; Saliva
PubMed: 33246097
DOI: 10.1016/j.anaerobe.2020.102300 -
Journal of Molecular Microbiology and... 2016Aromatic hydrocarbons such as benzene and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are very slowly degraded without molecular oxygen. Here, we review the recent advances... (Review)
Review
Aromatic hydrocarbons such as benzene and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are very slowly degraded without molecular oxygen. Here, we review the recent advances in the elucidation of the first known degradation pathways of these environmental hazards. Anaerobic degradation of benzene and PAHs has been successfully documented in the environment by metabolite analysis, compound-specific isotope analysis and microcosm studies. Subsequently, also enrichments and pure cultures were obtained that anaerobically degrade benzene, naphthalene or methylnaphthalene, and even phenanthrene, the largest PAH currently known to be degradable under anoxic conditions. Although such cultures grow very slowly, with doubling times of around 2 weeks, and produce only very little biomass in batch cultures, successful proteogenomic, transcriptomic and biochemical studies revealed novel degradation pathways with exciting biochemical reactions such as for example the carboxylation of naphthalene or the ATP-independent reduction of naphthoyl-coenzyme A. The elucidation of the first anaerobic degradation pathways of naphthalene and methylnaphthalene at the genetic and biochemical level now opens the door to studying the anaerobic metabolism and ecology of anaerobic PAH degraders. This will contribute to assessing the fate of one of the most important contaminant classes in anoxic sediments and aquifers.
Topics: Anaerobiosis; Bacteria, Anaerobic; Batch Cell Culture Techniques; Benzene; Biodegradation, Environmental; Metabolic Networks and Pathways; Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons
PubMed: 26960214
DOI: 10.1159/000441358 -
Journal of Chemotherapy (Florence,... Jun 2016Anaerobes predominant in the normal human skin and mucous membranes bacterial flora are often a cause of endogenous infections. Anaerobic bacteria are difficult to... (Review)
Review
Anaerobes predominant in the normal human skin and mucous membranes bacterial flora are often a cause of endogenous infections. Anaerobic bacteria are difficult to isolate from infectious sites, and are often overlooked. Anaerobic infections caused by anaerobes can occur in all body sites, including the central nervous system (CNS), oral cavity, head and neck, chest, abdomen, pelvis, skin and soft tissues. The treatment of these infections is complicated by the slow growth of these organisms, their polymicrobial nature and the growing resistance of anaerobes to antimicrobials agents. Antimicrobials are frequently the only form of therapy needed, but in others, they are an important adjunct to surgical drainage and correction of pathology. Because anaerobes are often recovered with aerobic and facultative bacteria, the chosen antimicrobials should cover all pathogens. The antimicrobials effective against anaerobic organisms are metronidazole, carbapenems, combinations of a beta-lactam and a beta-lactamase inhibitor, chloramphenicol, tigecycline and clindamycin.
Topics: Anti-Bacterial Agents; Bacteria, Anaerobic; Bacterial Infections; Humans
PubMed: 26365224
DOI: 10.1179/1973947815Y.0000000068 -
Journal of Molecular Microbiology and... 2016Hydrocarbons are abundant in anoxic environments and pose biochemical challenges to their anaerobic degradation by microorganisms. Within the framework of the Priority... (Review)
Review
Hydrocarbons are abundant in anoxic environments and pose biochemical challenges to their anaerobic degradation by microorganisms. Within the framework of the Priority Program 1319, investigations funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft on the anaerobic microbial degradation of hydrocarbons ranged from isolation and enrichment of hitherto unknown hydrocarbon-degrading anaerobic microorganisms, discovery of novel reactions, detailed studies of enzyme mechanisms and structures to process-oriented in situ studies. Selected highlights from this program are collected in this synopsis, with more detailed information provided by theme-focused reviews of the special topic issue on 'Anaerobic biodegradation of hydrocarbons' [this issue, pp. 1-244]. The interdisciplinary character of the program, involving microbiologists, biochemists, organic chemists and environmental scientists, is best exemplified by the studies on alkyl-/arylalkylsuccinate synthases. Here, research topics ranged from in-depth mechanistic studies of archetypical toluene-activating benzylsuccinate synthase, substrate-specific phylogenetic clustering of alkyl-/arylalkylsuccinate synthases (toluene plus xylenes, p-cymene, p-cresol, 2-methylnaphthalene, n-alkanes), stereochemical and co-metabolic insights into n-alkane-activating (methylalkyl)succinate synthases to the discovery of bacterial groups previously unknown to possess alkyl-/arylalkylsuccinate synthases by means of functional gene markers and in situ field studies enabled by state-of-the-art stable isotope probing and fractionation approaches. Other topics are Mo-cofactor-dependent dehydrogenases performing O2-independent hydroxylation of hydrocarbons and alkyl side chains (ethylbenzene, p-cymene, cholesterol, n-hexadecane), degradation of p-alkylated benzoates and toluenes, glycyl radical-bearing 4-hydroxyphenylacetate decarboxylase, novel types of carboxylation reactions (for acetophenone, acetone, and potentially also benzene and naphthalene), W-cofactor-containing enzymes for reductive dearomatization of benzoyl-CoA (class II benzoyl-CoA reductase) in obligate anaerobes and addition of water to acetylene, fermentative formation of cyclohexanecarboxylate from benzoate, and methanogenic degradation of hydrocarbons.
Topics: Anaerobiosis; Bacteria, Anaerobic; Biodegradation, Environmental; Biodiversity; Hydrocarbons; Phylogeny
PubMed: 26960061
DOI: 10.1159/000443997 -
Microbiology Spectrum Aug 2016Alteration in the host microbiome at skin and mucosal surfaces plays a role in the function of the immune system, and may predispose immunocompromised patients to... (Review)
Review
Alteration in the host microbiome at skin and mucosal surfaces plays a role in the function of the immune system, and may predispose immunocompromised patients to infection. Because obligate anaerobes are the predominant type of bacteria present in humans at skin and mucosal surfaces, immunocompromised patients are at increased risk for serious invasive infection due to anaerobes. Laboratory approaches to the diagnosis of anaerobe infections that occur due to pyogenic, polymicrobial, or toxin-producing organisms are described. The clinical interpretation and limitations of anaerobe recovery from specimens, anaerobe-identification procedures, and antibiotic-susceptibility testing are outlined. Bacteriotherapy following analysis of disruption of the host microbiome has been effective for treatment of refractory or recurrent Clostridium difficile infection, and may become feasible for other conditions in the future.
Topics: Bacteria, Anaerobic; Bacterial Infections; Bacteriological Techniques; Disease Susceptibility; Humans; Immunocompromised Host
PubMed: 27726792
DOI: 10.1128/microbiolspec.DMIH2-0015-2015 -
Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology Aug 1994New obligately anaerobic bacteria are being discovered at an accelerating rate and it is becoming very evident that the diversity of anoxic biotransformations has been... (Review)
Review
New obligately anaerobic bacteria are being discovered at an accelerating rate and it is becoming very evident that the diversity of anoxic biotransformations has been greatly underestimated. Furthermore, among contemporary anaerobes there are many that thrive in extreme environments including, for example, an impressive array of both archaebacterial and eubacterial hyperthermophiles. Free energy for growth and reproduction may be conserved not only via fermentations but also by anoxygenic photophosphorylation and other modes of creating transmembrane proton potential. Thus forms of anaerobic respiration in which various inorganic oxidants (or indeed carbon dioxide) serve as terminal electron acceptors have greatly extended the natural habitats in which such organisms may predominate. Anaerobic bacteria are, however, often found in nature as members of close microbial communities (consortia) that, although sustained by syntrophic and other relations between component species, are liable to alter their composition and character in response to environmental changes, e.g., availability of terminal oxidants. It follows that the biotechnological exploitation of obligately anaerobic bacteria must be informed by knowledge both of their biochemical capacities and of their normal environmental roles. It is against this background that illustrative examples of the activities of anaerobic bacteria are considered under three heads: 1. Biodegradation/Bioremediation, with special reference to the anaerobic breakdown of aromatic and/or halogenated organic substances; 2. Biosynthesis/Bioproduction, encompassing normal and modified fermentations; and 3. Biotransformations, accomplished by whole or semipermeabilized organisms or by enzymes derived therefrom, with particular interest attaching to the production of chiral compounds by a number of procedures, including electromicrobial reduction.
Topics: Bacteria, Anaerobic; Biodegradation, Environmental; Biotechnology; Biotransformation; Fermentation; Halogens
PubMed: 7944353
DOI: 10.1007/BF02796164 -
Folia Microbiologica May 2019Anaerobic microorganisms (anaerobes) possess a fascinating metabolic versatility. This characteristic makes anaerobes interesting candidates for physiological studies... (Review)
Review
Anaerobic microorganisms (anaerobes) possess a fascinating metabolic versatility. This characteristic makes anaerobes interesting candidates for physiological studies and utilizable as microbial cell factories. To investigate the physiological characteristics of an anaerobic microbial population, yield, productivity, specific growth rate, biomass production, substrate uptake, and product formation are regarded as essential variables. The determination of those variables in distinct cultivation systems may be achieved by using different techniques for sampling, measuring of growth, substrate uptake, and product formation kinetics. In this review, a comprehensive overview of methods is presented, and the applicability is discussed in the frame of anaerobic microbiology and biotechnology.
Topics: Anaerobiosis; Bacteria, Anaerobic; Biomass; Bioreactors; Fermentation; Industrial Microbiology; Metabolic Engineering
PubMed: 30446943
DOI: 10.1007/s12223-018-0658-4