Diagnosing anaerobic bacterial infections
Test Id | Reporting Name | Available Separately | Always Performed |
---|---|---|---|
RMALA | Id MALDI-TOF Mass Spec Anaerobe | No, (Bill Only) | No |
ISAN | Anaerobe Ident by Sequencing | No, (Bill Only) | No |
TISSR | Tissue Processing | No, (Bill Only) | No |
ANAID | Anaerobe Ident | No, (Bill Only) | No |
PCRID | Identification by PCR | No, (Bill Only) | No |
When this test is ordered, the reflex tests may be performed at an additional charge.
Conventional Culture
Actinobaculum
Actinomyces
Anaerococcus
Bacteroides
Bifidobacterium
Campylobacter
Clostridioides
Clostridium
Cutibacterium
Eggerthella
Finegoldia
Fusobacterium
Helcococcus
Lactobacillus
Peptoniphilus
Porphyromonas
Prevotella
Propionibacterium
Staphylococcus saccharolyticus
Veillonella
When this test is ordered, the reflex tests may be performed at an additional charge.
Varies
Specimen should arrive within 72 hours of collection.
Specimen source is required.
Question ID | Description | Answers |
---|---|---|
Q00M0003 | Specimen Source |
Supplies: Anaerobe Transport Tube (T588)
Specimen Types: Deep tissues, sterile body fluids, abscesses, percutaneous transtracheal aspirates, suprapubic aspirations, or wounds
Collection Instructions: Specimen should be obtained by using a needle and syringe from a source not normally colonized by anaerobes.
Swab | Reject |
Specimen Type | Temperature | Time | Special Container |
---|---|---|---|
Varies | Ambient | 72 hours |
Diagnosing anaerobic bacterial infections
When this test is ordered, the reflex tests may be performed at an additional charge.
Anaerobic bacteria are the greatest component of the human body's normal bacterial flora colonizing the skin, oral cavity, and genitourinary and lower gastrointestinal tracts and generally do not cause infection. Their presence is important for vitamin and other nutrient absorption and in preventing infection with pathogenic bacteria.
When usual skin and mucosal barriers are penetrated as well as in an anaerobic environment, these bacteria can behave as pathogens. Typical anaerobic infections include periodontitis, abdominal or pelvic abscesses, endometritis, pelvic inflammatory disease, aspiration pneumonia, empyema and lung abscesses, sinusitis, brain abscesses, gas gangrene, and other soft tissue infections.
Anaerobes grow aggressively in the body under anaerobic conditions and may possess a variety of virulence factors including capsules and extracellular enzymes. They also can develop resistance to antimicrobials by producing beta-lactamase and other modifying enzymes as well as by alterations in membrane permeability and structure of penicillin-binding proteins. Because anaerobic bacteria are a significant cause of human infection and are often resistant to commonly used antimicrobials, susceptibility testing results are useful to clinicians. Bacteroides and Parabacteroides species produce beta-lactamases. Ertapenem, metronidazole, and clindamycin are generally effective agents although resistance to clindamycin, and occasionally ertapenem, is increasing.
No growth
Identification of probable pathogens
Isolation of anaerobes in significant numbers from well-collected specimens including blood, other normally sterile body fluids, or closed collections of purulent fluid, indicates infection with the identified organisms.
Specimens should be collected by needle and syringe aspiration or surgical drainage to avoid contamination with normal-flora anaerobes; such contamination would make interpretation of culture results impossible.
Specimens must be transported in anaerobic transport vials.
1. Summanen P, Baron EJ, Citron DM, et al: Wadsworth Anaerobic Bacteriology Manual. 6th ed. Star Publishing Co; 2002
2. Schuetz AN, Carpenter DE: Susceptibility test methods: anaerobic bacteria. In: Carroll KC, Pfaller MA, eds. Manual of Clinical Microbiology. 12th ed. ASM Press; 2019:1377-1397
3. Hall GS: Anaerobic bacteriology. In: Leber AL, ed. Clinical Microbiology Procedures Handbook. Vol 1. 4th ed. ASM Press; 2016: chap 44
Appropriate specimens are inoculated onto blood agar, phenylethyl alcohol agar, lysed blood agar containing gentamicin and vancomycin, and into thioglycollate broth tubes which are incubated anaerobically for 48 hours. Colonies are subcultured to determine aerotolerance, and obligately anaerobic organisms may be identified by Gram stain and/or use of various differential media, conventional biochemical tests, matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry, real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT PCR), or 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing (rRNA).(Procop GW, Church DL, Hall GS, et al. eds: The anaerobic bacteria. In: Koneman's Color Atlas and Textbook of Diagnostic Microbiology. 7th ed. Wolters Kluwer Lippincott Williams and Wilkins; 2017:983-1073)
Monday through Sunday
This test has been cleared, approved, or is exempt by the US Food and Drug Administration and is used per manufacturer's instructions. Performance characteristics were verified by Mayo Clinic in a manner consistent with CLIA requirements.
87075-Bacterial Culture, Anaerobic
87076-Id MALDI-TOF Mass Spec Anaerobe (if appropriate)
87153-Anaerobe Ident by Sequencing (if appropriate)
87176-Tissue Processing (if appropriate)
87150-Identification by PCR (if appropriate)
Test Id | Test Order Name | Order LOINC Value |
---|---|---|
ANAE | Bacterial Culture, Anaerobic | 635-3 |
Result Id | Test Result Name |
Result LOINC Value
Applies only to results expressed in units of measure originally reported by the performing laboratory. These values do not apply to results that are converted to other units of measure.
|
---|---|---|
ANAE | Bacterial Culture, Anaerobic | 635-3 |