Impact of Inappropriate Therapy on Mortality associated with Anaerobic Bacteremia.

Kim et al. analyzed the incidence and risk factors related to mortality and assess clinical outcomes of anaerobic bacteremia during 2012 in Yonsei University Hospital, Seoul, Korea.

A total of 70 anaerobic bacteria were isolated from blood of 70 bacteremia patients. The history of cardiovascular disease as host's risk factor was statistically significant. The incidence of anaerobic bacteremia in was 2.3% per 100 positive blood culture patients, and the mortality rate in patients with clinically significant anaerobic bacteremia was 21.4%. anaerobic bacteremia was frequently noted in patients with malignancy.

The survival rate of bacteremia was significantly worse in patients who had inappropriate therapy compared with those underwent appropriate therapy. The most frequently isolated organism was Bacteroides fragilis (32 isolates, 46%), Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron (10, 14%), and non-perfringens Clostridium (7, 10%).