ISOLATION &

IDENTIFICATION
OF
ANAEROBES
Dr Rahul Dhodapkar

INTORDUCTION

Anaerobic bacteriology is considered to be

esoteric branch of clinical microbiology.
However importance of Anaerobic bacteriology
can be understood from the frequency of
isolation of anaerobes from various sites of
infection like
Pleuro-pulmonary infections
Intra-abdominal infections
Pelvic infections etc

INTRODUCTION
Anaerobic culture methods
Anaerobic jars

McIntosh & Fildes jar

Gaspak jar

Anaerobic chamber

Pre reduced anaerobically sterilized Roll tube

technique
Single plate anaerobic cultures

ISOLATION PROTOCOL

IDENTIFICATION PROTOCOL
All the colonies growing on anaerobic plates should
be processed for identification
Protocol makes use of simple tests and special
potency antimicrobial discs for presumptive
identification of commonly isolated anaerobes.

Derived from

Wadsworth manual of anaerobic bacteriology

Emmersons Principles and Practices of Clinical bacteriology

Gram
Positive

Cocci

SPS sensitivity (1 mg)

P. anaerobius

Peptostreptococcus spp

GPR

Slender rods
with terminal
round spores

Culture shows
swarming
growth

Cl. tetani

Thick
GPRs

Reverse
CAMP

S/C
EYA
Opacity
around
colonies

Cl. perfringens

Opacity on
Lecithin medium

Reverse CAMP test

Antibiotic
Disc

Bacteroides
spp

Prevotella

Porphyromonas

Fusobacterium
spp

B urealyticus

Neomycin
(1mg)

Kanamycin
(1 mg)

Penicillin
(1 2 U)

S/R

S/R

Rifampicin
(15g)

R/S

Colistin
(10g)

S/R

Vancomycin
(5g)

Forms
Characteristic
black colonies
on
BBE.

Forms pitting
colonies

Genus Bacteroides
on BBE species

Pitting colonies
of B. ureolyticus