Anaerobic bacteria isolated from clinical specimens: Seven-year review

Aim. Although anaerobic bacteria are a group of bacteria that can cause significant pathological changes, they are are frequently overlooked due to the difficulties in culturing and isolation. This study aims to investigate the distributions of anaerobic bacteria isolated from the specimens sent to the Microbiology Laboratory of the Cumhuriyet University School of Medicine between the years 2006-2013 based on a preliminary diagnosis of anaerobic infection. Methods. This study includes 543 samples properly collected from various clinics, these samples were retrospectively examined using laboratory records. Results. While there was no growth in 409 (75.3%) of the study samples, various anaerobic bacteria were grown on 134 (24.6%) samples. Our study found the highest growth rate (29.9%) to be in Bacteroides spp. among the anaerobic bacteria isolated in our study, followed by Peptopstreptococcus spp. (23.1%), and Propionibacterium spp. (20.2%). Conclusions. As a result, although growing anaerobic bacteria is difficult, time-consuming and more expensive, it is possible to isolate a significant amount of anaerobic bacteria as infectious agents when clinical samples were properly collected and sent. We consider that describing anaerobic bacteria will allow for a more accurate treatment of such infections. We think that the local data obtained with this study will offer benefits in following and treating infections caused by anaerobic bacteria and contribute to the current literature.