Fusobacterium

Fusobacterium novum

The genus Fusobacterium includes gram-negative anaerobic rods, which are part of the natural bacterial flora of the upper respiratory, digestive and genital tracts. Pathogenic species include F. necrophorum and F. nucleatum. Fusobacterium causes surgical and traumatic wound infections and complicates animal bites. It can be identified in mixed cultures causing pneumonia, thoracic empyema, intra-abdominal infection and abscesses. Rarely, fusobacterium can cause osteomyelitis.

F. nucleatum is part of dental plaque, invasiveness is enabled by the ability to adhere to both G-negative and G-positive biofilm. Bacteria can also cause inflammation of the periodontium. F. necrophorum causes serious infections of children and adolescents, a severe condition is necrotizing tonsillitis accompanied by the formation of pablans and abscesses.

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Related articles

• Gram-negative anaerobic bacilli and cocci
• Bacteroides spp.
• Prevotella spp.

Reference

1. *Public Health Agency of Canada. Fusobacterium spp [online]. [cit. 2014-10-18]. <https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/laboratory-biosafety-biosecurity/pathogen-safety-data-sheets-risk-assessment/fusobacterium.html>.
2. ↑ BENNET, K. W. Fusobacteria : new taxonomy and related diseases [online]. [cit. 2014-10-18]. <http://jmm.microbiologyresearch.org/content/journal/jmm/10.1099/00222615-39-4-246?crawler=true&mimetype=application/pdf,>.
3. ↑ Microbewiki. Fusobacterium [online]. [cit. 2014-10-18]. <https://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.php/Fusobacterium>.

Recommended literature

• VOTAVA, Miroslav, et al. Lékařská mikrobiologie speciální. 1. vydání. Brno : Neptun, 2003. 495 s. ISBN 80-902896-6-5.