Antimicrobial Resistance of Anaerobic Bacteria

Abstract

The resistance to antimicrobial agents in anaerobic bacteria has become a serious problem in the treatment of infections associated with these microorganisms. In most of the anaerobic infections empiric antibiotic treatment should be started as soon as possible before the microbiological diagnosis is made. The isolation and identification of these bacteria, as well as to perform their susceptibility, tests are quite difficult and time consuming. Therefore to obtain the data related to the resistance patterns and resistance mechanisms of these bacteria is very important for the empiric treatment of anaerobic infections. In this review, the role of antimicrobial agents in the treatment of anaerobic infections, the patterns of resistance and the mechanisms by which the anaerobes become resistant to these agents have been discussed.