Understanding Anaerobic Bacteria: Types, Infections & More

Anaerobic bacteria do not need or use oxygen as a nutrient. There are three types of anaerobic bacteria, obligate anaerobes, facultative anaerobes and aerotolerant anaerobes.

Obligate Anaerobes

• Obligate anaerobes live by fermentation (energy from the partial oxidation of an organic compound), anaerobic respiration (respiration that does not use oxygen as a final electron acceptor), bacterial photosynthesis (energy source is light), or methanogenisis (hydrogen is the energy source and methane is produced) and oxygen is toxic to them.

Facultative Anaerobes

• Facultative anaerobes can switch between aerobic and anaerobic kinds of metabolism.

Aerotolerant Anaerobes

• Aerotolerant anaerobes live by fermentation, but oxygen is not toxic to them.

Examples

• Cholera, diphtheria, anthrax, tetanus, gingivitis, pneumonic plague, Lyme disease, Malta fever, Shigellosis, intestinal inflammation, abscesses, meningitis, Chanchroid, periodontal disease, gum inflammation, botulism, vaginal yeast infection, peritonitis, septicemia and wound infection can all be caused by anaerobic bacterial infection.

Treatment

• Anaerobic bacterial infections frequently respond to treatment with Lincomycin type antibiotics such as Clindamycin.